Well, very likey you are not really carving yet, just doing a standard skidded turn. When in a true carve, the tail of the board does not skid at all. As for edge catches, here is the deal, the edge will only ever catch if there is an element of sideways skidding. As long as that board is traveling tip to tail , there is no side loade for the edge to catch.

Some ideas to work on, as you are traversing the slope say on your toe edges, use your front foot only to turn by relaxing slowly the toe pressure. You will maintin it on your rear foot. As the board pivots around toward your heelside and down the hill, you will very gradually begin to ease up on the toe pressure on your back foot so that as the board points down the hill, you are momentarily flat based. With the front foot, gradually increase heel pressure to get the sidecut to engage and begin the turn. Once the turn is established, follow through with the rear foot by gradually increaseing heel pressure.

This is the basic method to get you to begining to do true carved turns. You use the torsional flex of the board to caues the sidecut to turn you, not rotation of the upper body. Once you get the feel of a true carve you will know instantly the difference.

~Haylee~

My first day out I got the hang of Heelside sidslipping and the garland and then just sort of combined them. My friends dont know how I do it, but I take the biggest hills just as fast as they do and can heelside sideslip it the whole way down ..

But mostly I have been just using a heelside sideslip to slow then a fakie to change directions. Very tiresome and can be a pain in tight areas.

I think my problem is I havent practied the toeside. So everytime I try to carve I lose it when it comes to the toeside turn.

I am going to practice some of the lessons (toeside sideslipping, falling leaf, garland) when I go back up.