FREESTYLE ESSENTIALS
4 Tricks you need
Lets drill down to the essence of snowboarding. You’ve heard what other riders and pros talk about in terms of the tricks they love to do and what tricks always look timeless. Well here are 4 worth working on.
Lets drill down to the essence of snowboarding. You’ve heard what other riders and pros talk about in terms of the tricks they love to do and what tricks always look timeless. Well here are 4 worth working on.
If you have a Method, your photo album will be brimming with style and you’ll feel like a pro. Every pro has their own version on lock and in most powder runs you’ll see this move being thrown down. For normal riders it can feel great and separates you from the pack.
I’ve found the key to the move is the separate rotation of the upper and lower body. Just lifting your legs up behind you and tapping the board with your hand is not going to cut it. I refer to that as a ‘Tourist Method’. I see it all the time. Your aim is the get the board flat and facing down the slope as much as you can with your lead shoulder still heading down slope.
For some this trick comes naturally, but for many, including myself this is one of the toughest rail tricks to get on lock. Whereas with a B/S board or Noseslide your posture and level of tweak can make it look weird or wicked I find almost any posture works for this trick (check the pics). It just flows. The movement pattern is very similar to a Method 🧐
If you can bust out one of these on a decent side hit rail you’ll be in with the locals. Your street cred will be cemented even if you have nothing else in the bank.
When you get a solid backside 180 it just floats and feels effortless. On a big jump time almost stands still and you do next to nothing to achieve the rotation. For a UK rider they can also feel great even on small jumps. Well worth spending some time to get them floaty with some extra teaks or grabs to stamp your own personality on it.
It will also move you out of the frontside 180 crew. Pro’s often talk about this being one of their favourite tricks. Work on your switch riding and try to avoid the classic separation that kills the rotation if you keep looking downhill when you leave the kicker. Check my previous instagram posts for a full guide to Backside 180’s.
I hope that gives you a heads up on the basics of avalanches. If you want to learn more about off piste safety check out some of my other articles.