Carving

Question
Needing something to do for the summer, I bought my very first skateboard a little over a week ago. So far, through practice alone, I've gone from not being able to stand on the skateboard at all without falling over to being able to ride at a good speed up and down slight hills, without falling at all. For a complete beginner, I'm elated.

So my question is this. My stance is regular. I tend to stand with my left foot slightly behind the front wheels facing forward. My right foot ends up around the back wheels but usually turned either slightly to the right or a little more than slightly. I have no problem carving right, but it feels incredibly awkward to carve left because I feel like I'm tipping over backwards. I can go in circles forever turning right, but I would eventually like to go left at some point. Any suggestions?  

Answer
Hey, thanks for the refreshingly intelligent question! It's good to hear that you've come so far, first of all. Going from not being able to stand on a board to going down hills is a great improvement. And yes, it feels great. That elated feeling will only heighten as you progress in ability and land new tricks, that's why skating is so incredibly awesome.
I'm not completely sure as to what you mean by "right and left" turning. When you turn towards your toes, forwards, it's called backside. When you turn towards your back, it's called frontside. I think you're talking about turning frontside since you feel like you're going to tip over backwards. I can't say for sure what the problem is but it's normal to feel awkward at first. Don't get discouraged; it's just a strange feeling to your new-to-skating body, so ust turn frontside a LOT, and you'll feel comfortable with it in no time. What you should do is conotinue to get more comfortable on your board as the days progress, and when you're ready, you should learn to ollie. Try it in grass or carpet if you want, whenever, just see what happens.

You seem to have some ability and patience, so you should definitely skate every day and go places with it. You won't regret it. And if you want someone to talk to about skating on a regular basis with questions, comments, updates, whatever, feel free to email me. Good luck!