I completely agree with ed.santos.568 - I used to blade a bit and I originally picked it up because I sucked at skateboarding and wanted something fun to do in the off season. The curved plates do help you lock in but it required more balance without the low center of balance from long skis. I found it actually helped my balance on rails a lot when I got back on snow. They're a bit expensive, but I definitely recommend them for anyone else who sucks at skateboarding