Physics of Carving on a Skateboard How does carving on a skateboard work, why is it easier to carve on a longboard as opposed to a shortboard? I feel like I'm more prone to hurt myself trying to carve or throw my weight out on a shortboard, why is this? Is it just because you have more control over your weight distribution on a longboard? Can anyone give me an indepth analysis of this?
 A: 
Can anyone give me an indepth analysis of this?

I might be able to. It would have been easier if you had told people what carving means, fortunately, as a skater (and skier), I know what you mean, so for the benefit of the non-skaters reading, carving is used in skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding and probably some other sports. It is a technique used to maintain a controllable speed when faced with a gradient that would otherwise provide too much of an acceleration.
This is done by moving in S paths down a slope. This video will give you an idea about what I mean. It's not a perfect technique (correct carving shouldn't skid) and it is of skiing, but the same thing applies for skateboarding too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhZmnHtgwec 

How does carving on a skateboard work

The same way that carving in general works, it slows you down (or reduces your overall acceleration down a hill) by making you travel partly across the slope. This picture demonstrates what I mean:

It shows two paths down a slope. The areas in red are where the skater will accelerate due to being headed directly down the slope, and the areas in blue mark where the skater will be decelerating due to moving across the slope and the friction slowing him/her down. Obviously the path on the left will cause the skater to travel faster and the path on the right is longer, slower and more controllable.

why is it easier to carve on a longboard as opposed to a shortboard?

Longboards turn better, it's part of their design. Better trucks for turning, better wheels for grip, you can lean into the turn further to ballance the centripetal force. Longboards were designed for carving and smooth turning because they were trying to mimic surfing on land.

I feel like I'm more prone to hurt myself trying to carve or throw my weight out on a shortboard, why is this? Is it just because you have more control over your weight distribution on a longboard?

Yes, the same point as above, longboards are built for carving, skateboards are not.
