Re: [base698] Rear Risers on Troll
I'd guess that what you are seeing is the difference between using a riser to turn an already flying canopy, and using one to initiate a turn out of stall. When turning out of a stall, the "unstalling" portion of the canopy must reinflate before turning. This is obviously not the case with a turn from flight. This means that the "stall then turn" method uses less horizontal distance, but consumes more vertical altitude.
When you say "lightning fast" are you referring to time used or distance used?
Many people are fooled into thinking one turn or another is "faster" because they are only considering how many seconds the turn takes, rather than how many feet it uses.
There are two important measurements in evaluating a turn:
1) Forward distance used: How many feet did you travel toward the object during your turn?
2) Vertical altitude used: How many feet did you travel toward the ground during the turn?
Note that time (how many seconds did the turn use) is
most definitely not one of the important factors. In fact, a turn that uses more time is generally easier to manage. Don't be fooled into thinking that a turn that uses less time is a better way to avoid object strike.
In general, a riser turn (with brakes stowed--if you've unstowed the brakes already, you're probably better off to use them to turn) eats more vertical altitude and less horizontal distance. A toggle turn uses more horizontal distance and less vertical altitude. In crisis mode, horizontal distance is generally your most precious commodity, so risers are generally recommended.
One last thought: pretty much the only way to really see how your turn technique works is off a bridge, with camera directly above pointing down. Of course, you could do this off another object, but poor technique there could have negative repercussions.