Justin's Carv story
Votes:
I first came across Carv whilst I was flicking through Kickstarter. I watched the video and was immediately smitten. I definitely asked myself whether it would do what it said it would, but when I saw the price was around that of 2 private lessons...and I was already planning on getting private lessons that season, I bought one.
"I definitely asked myself whether it would do what it said it would"
When we go away, I go with my family. I’ve skied longer than them and so am a better skier, but I want to get even better (although, I do have a long way to go). Getting private lessons seems selfish ‘me time’ on a family trip, and a group lesson is tricky because of the difference in our abilities. Also, my experience of lessons in the last few years hasn’t been great. I have done long runs and all the feedback I got was “lean forward more" or some such. Carv promised that things would be different: feedback on each and every turn.
So I pulled the trigger and the Carv arrived, in a nice box. It was really easy to install. The app connected easily, and I calibrated the sensors. It’s a shame I was in my spare bedroom. The ski trip couldn’t come fast enough.
"At the end of that first day I already knew I was a better skier"
I set up my Carv on my very first run on the next trip. Wow. Just wow. Within minutes of feedback, doing the drills I could instinctively feel that things were going the right way. I was skiing with my family, and yet I was also having my very own private lesson. At the end of that first day I already knew I was a better skier and that my investment was worth it. By the end of the trip my wife commented on how I looked like a better skier.
I had to wait a whole year to use Carv again. And on the next trip things had improved with the app, so it clearly was an investment with returns. I got my wife to video me down a particular favourite run on the first day. As I went down a very accomplished skier glided past me and when I got to the end of the run I told my wife I wanted to ski like that.
"I was skiing with my family, and yet I was also having my very own private lesson."
So I used Carv for a week every day, on every run, using a variety of drills and lessons. I had a video taken at the end of the week, and looked pretty much like the skier that had skied past me at the beginning. The improvement in my edging ability was remarkable. My skiing was more efficient...
"With constant feedback you visibly improve at the end of just one run"
The beauty of Carv is that every turn is analysed. And every turn is an opportunity to improve. With constant feedback you visibly improve at the end of just one run. And the gamification of the technique improvements means you are challenged to get better. If you struggle in one area, you focus on another technique, come back to that difficult skill and actually find it is much easier because you have improved your technique in other ways. Just what lessons should do. It is remarkable, and you don’t believe it until you see it happen.
I can count the time until the next ski trips in days now, and I am excited to use Carv again. I have recommended to many friends, and they have bought them too and felt the same way: private lessons forever for one payment. If you’d spend your money on 2 lessons, get Carv instead, it’s worth so much more.
