List of snowboard tricks

Snowboard tricks are aerials or maneuvers performed on snowboards for fun, or in competitions. Most often, these maneuvers are performed on obstacles such as jumps, halfpipes, quarterpipes, hips, handrails, funboxes, or ledges, or on the surface of the snow. Many have their origins in precursory board sports such as skateboarding and surfing.

Snowboard trick nomenclature

Snowboard tricks are named in the same manner that earlier board sports (skateboarding, surfing) named their maneuvers.

Frontside and backside

The identifiers frontside and backside are used to describe how a trick is performed. These identifiers are very important technical terms and are commonly misunderstood. For aerial maneuvers, frontside and backside are used to identify the direction of rotation of a spin. For tricks performed on obstacles such as rails, frontside and backside refer to the direction from which the snowboarder approaches the obstacle as well as the direction of rotation.

The terms frontside and backside originate in surfing. A surfer riding a wave frontside has his body facing the wave he is surfing. A surfer whose back is to the wave while surfing is riding the wave 'backside'. Because snowboarders are not on waves, this is different in the snow. Frontside and backside have two meanings when snowboarding. One interpretation involves riding in a halfpipe which is similar to a wave. If your body is facing the wall, you're on the frontside wall. If your back is facing the wall, you're on the backside. This changes relative to the rider, though, because some people ride in a regular stance (left foot forward) and some people ride goofy (right foot forward). On a jump, frontside and backside refer to the direction turned as the rotation is initiated. If, for instance, a goofy rider wants to do a frontside 180 off of a jump, they would turn clockwise which would face them downhill through the 180° turn. A regular stance rider would do the same trick by turning counterclockwise.

Switch-stance and fakie

The terms switch-stance (switch) and fakie are often used interchangeably in snowboarding, though there is a distinct difference. The switch identifier refers to any trick that a snowboarder performs while traveling backwards, or the reverse of his/her natural stance. A snowboarder can also be said to be riding switch while traveling opposite from his/her natural stance, when no trick is being performed. At this time, the leading tip of his board is referred to as the nose.

Alternatively, the identifier fakie has its origin in skateboarding, a discipline where the feet are not attached to the board, but where the skateboarder's natural stance includes positioning the trailing foot on the kicked tail of the skateboard. On a skateboard, fakie refers to an instance where the skateboarder is traveling backwards, but his/her feet remain in the same position on the skateboard as their natural stance.

Snowboarders will distinguish between fakie and switch, despite the fact that their feet never change position on the snowboard. The term switch is far more common when describing snowboard tricks, and a switch trick is any trick that is initiated switch-stance. Landing switch means that the snowboarder has landed while traveling backwards.

The term fakie will sometimes refer to landing a trick backwards, but this most commonly occurs when referring to a trick that mimics a maneuver performed on a skateboard. An air-to-fakie for instance, would be a straight air on a vertical feature with no rotation, and re-entering the same transition. The rider would land fakie and would therefore be riding switch. Another common way that the term fakie gets used is when the identifier switch creates a redundant description. For example, much like skateboarding's conventions, a snowboarder would say fakie ollie, rather than switch nollie.

Straight airs

Ollie

A trick in which the snowboarder springs off the tail of the board and into the air.

Nollie

A trick in which the snowboarder springs off the nose of the board and into the air.

Switch ollie

While riding switch, the snowboarder performs an ollie.

Fakie ollie

While riding backward, the snowboarder springs off of his 'new nose', and into the air. This resembles a nollie, however the snowboarder is riding in his reverse-stance.

Shifty

An aerial trick in which a snowboarder twists his body in order to shift or rotate his board about 90° from its normal position beneath him, and then returns the board to its original position before landing. This trick can be performed frontside or backside, and also in variation with other tricks and spins.

Air-to-fakie

Airing straight out of a vertical transition (halfpipe, quarterpipe) and then re-entering fakie, without rotation.

Poptart

Airing from fakie to forward on a quarterpipe or halfpipe without rotation.

Flail

A term used to describe the movements of an out-of-control snowboarder who is waving his/her hands wildly while in the air. Also called humping sheep or rolling down the windows.

Grabs

An overview of a number of common grabs

1 2 (one-two; not twelve)

A trick in which the rider's front hand grabs the heel edge behind his back foot.

A B

A trick in which the rider's rear hand grabs the heel side of the board front for the front bindings.

Beef Carpaccio

A Roast Beef and Chicken Salad (in between the legs) at the same time with hands crossed.

Beef Curtains 

Advanced version of a Roast Beef where both hands simultaneously grab the heelside edge of the board between the bindings.

Bloody Dracula

A trick in which the rider grabs the tail of the board with both hands. The rear hand grabs the board as it would do it during a regular tail-grab but the front hand blindly reaches for the board behind the riders back.

Cannonball/UFO

A trick in which the nose and tail of the board are grabbed simultaneously.

Chicken salad

A trick in which the leading hand passes through the legs from the front and grabs the heel edge between the feet.

China air (West Coast) /Korean air (East Coast)

An easier version of the Japan Air; the front hand grabs the toe side in front of the front foot. Both knees are then bent.

Crail

A trick in which the rear hand grabs the toe edge in front of the front foot.

Cross-rocket

Advanced variation of a Rocket Air, where the arms are crossed in order to grab opposite sides of the nose of the board, while the rear leg is boned straight and the front leg is tucked up.

Cross-pop

Advanced variation of a Pop Air in which the arms are crossed in order to grab opposite sides of the tail of the board, while the rear leg is tucked up and the front leg is boned straight.

Frontside grab/indy

A fundamental trick performed by grabbing the toe edge between the bindings with the trailing hand. This trick is referred to as a frontside grab on a straight air, or while performing a frontside spin. When performing a backside aerial or backside rotation, this grab is referred to as an Indy. The frontside air was popularized by skateboarder Tony Alva.

Goomba

Back hand grabs nose of the board around the back. similar to the nuclear

Japan air

The front hand grabs the toe edge just behind/on the front foot. However, the arm must go around the outside of your front knee. The board is then pulled behind the rider (tweaked). Note: Advanced riders performing this trick will usually turn and move facing fully forward, or put the nose of the board close to the upper arm or shoulder.

Lien air

When performing a frontside air on transition, the snowboarder grabs heelside in front or behind the leading binding with his/her leading hand. In order for it to be a Lien air, the board can not be tweaked and has to be kept flat. The origin of the name of the trick is the reverse spelling of skateboarder Neil Blender's first name.

Snowboarder busting a method air off a cornice—a classic style of aerial grab and board tweak

Melancholy; Melon

Performed by grabbing the heel edge between the bindings with the leading hand, while the front leg is boned forward.

Melon, water

A melon grab where the rider bones the front leg and turns the board the 45° angle.

Method

A fundamental trick performed by bending the knees to lift the board behind the rider's back, and grabbing the heel edge of the snowboard with the leading hand. Variations on the method include :

Grasser, Crossbone, method boneout, power method, or Palmer method

Performed by grabbing the heel edge with the leading hand, and tucking up the board while kicking out the rear foot in such a way that the base of the board is facing forward. Derived from the snowboarder Chris Roach of Grass Valley, CA. Other notable riders who popularized this air include snowboarders Jamie Lynn, Shaun Palmer, Terry Kidwell, and skateboarders Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi.

Suitcase

A method in which the knees are bent so that the front hand is able to grab the toe edge and hold the board 'like a suitcase.' Can also be performed as a two-handed Suitcase.

Mindy

Both hands grab toeside between the bindings. This is more commonly referred to as a gorilla.

Mindy, Super

Both hands grab toeside outside of the bindings.

Mule kick

An early snowboarder adaptation of the skateboarders method air. Often called a Toyota air, after its similar posturing to the early 1980s Toyota "Oh What A Feeling" ad campaign featuring people jumping off the ground, performed by jumping into an aerial backbend with legs bending until nearly kicking yourself in the butt as with skiing's backscratcher air, both arms bent back high over the head and not grabbing the board. Still occasionally seen and widely regarded as terrible.^{[citation needed]}

Mute

Front hand grabs the toe edge between the bindings. Variations include the Mute Stiffy, in which a mute grab is performed while straightening both legs, or alternatively, some snowboarders will grab mute and rotate the board frontside 90 degrees.

Nosegrab

Front hand grabs the nose of the board.

Nuclear

The rear hand grabs the nose of the board.

Perfect

The front hand grabs the tail of the board.

Roast beef

Back hand grabs through the legs to the heel edge.

Rocket Air

Both hands grab the nose of the board, while the rear leg is boned and the front leg is pulled up.

Rusty Trombone

A Roast Beef and Nose grab performed at the same time.

Pop Air

A Rocket Air performed with both hands grabbing the tail of the board.

School grab

A trick in which the rider's front hand grabs the heel edge in front of the front foot and his rear/back hand grabs the heel edge behind the rear foot.

Seatbelt

The front hand reaches across the body and grabs the toe edge behind the back binding.

Slob

A mute grab where the back leg is boned straight.

Smeagle

A backward-flipping frontside 540 in which both hands grab the toe side of the board while in a crouching position. This was Invented by Roger Augustus Luick

Stalefish

Back hand grabs the heel edge of the board at the back foot, around the outside of the knee.

Steak Tar Tar

A Chicken Salad and a Roast Beef at the same time.

Swiss cheese air

The rear hand reaches between the legs and grabs the heel edge in front of the front foot while the back leg is boned.

Tailfish

Similar in naming convention to a Tindy, Tailfish is a portmanteau of 'Tail' and 'Stalefish'. The trailing hand grabs the heel edge between rear binding and the tail.

Tailgrab

The trailing hand grabs the tail of the board. Variations include straightening, or 'boning' the front leg, or 'tweaking' the board slightly frontside or backside.

Taipan air

The front hand reaches behind the front foot and grabs the toe edge between the bindings. The front knee is then bent to touch the board tuck knee style. Called Tai-Pan because it's a variation of the Japan Grab.

Tindy

The tindy grab is a controversial grab, and the name is a portmanteau of 'tail' and 'indy'. The trailing hand grabs between the rear binding and the tail on the toe edge.

Truck driver, backside

The rider grabs Mute and Stalefish at the same time, while rotating backside. Also known as a drunk driver.

Truck driver, frontside

The rider performs a frontside grab and a Melon at the same time, while rotating frontside.

Flying squirrel

Both hands reach behind the heelside and (tweak) the board behind his/her riders back.

Please do not discuss tricks here. Use the discussion page.ghg

Spins

Spins are typically performed in 180° increments due to the nature of the obstacles on which they are performed. Even in cases where spins are performed on unconventional obstacles, the rotation is regarded as the nearest increment of 180°, and can be identified by the direction of approach and landing (regular and switch). A spin attempted from a jump to a rail is the only time a spin can be referred to in a 90 degree increment, examples: 270 (between a 180 and 360 degree spin) or 450 (between a 360 and 540 degree spin). These spins can be frontside, backside, cab, or switch-backside just like any other spins. Ulrik Badertscher performed the biggest spin ever landed, a 1620.

The term "Cab" in snowboarding generally refers to any switch-frontside spin (no matter what the amount of rotation) on any feature (halfpipe, jumps, rails, boxes). For example, a "switch-frontside 1080 double cork" off a jump would be referred to as a "cab 1080 double cork". The term was originally only applied to a switch-frontside 360 in a halfpipe in which a rider would take off a wall switch, spin 360 degrees frontside, and land on his/her comfortable stance (regular/goofy). Therefore the term "Cab" only applied to tricks in the halfpipe in which rotations were in full 360 increments, such as a "Cab 360" or "Cab 720." For example, since a switch-frontside 540 would land a rider in the same switch position he/she took off from in the halfpipe, it was not referred to as a "Cab 540" because the rider dide not take off switch, spin frontside, and land in his/her comfortable stance.

A "Half-Cab" refers to a switch-frontside 180 spin.

The term Alley-oop is used to describe a spin performed in a halfpipe or quarterpipe in which the spin is rotated in the opposite direction of the air. For example, performing a frontside rotation on the backside wall of a halfpipe, or spinning clockwise while traveling right-to-left through the air on a quarterpipe would mean the spin was alley-oop.

Spins are referred to as Corked or Corkscrew when the axis of the spin allows for the snowboarder to be oriented sideways or upside-down in the air, typically without becoming completely inverted (though the head and shoulders should drop below the relative position of the board). A Double-Cork refers to a rotation in which a snowboarder inverts or orients himself sideways at two distinct times during an aerial rotation. David Benedek is the originator of the Double-Cork in the Half-pipe, but the Double-Cork is also a very common trick in Big-Air competitions. Shaun White is known for making this trick famous in the half-pipe. Several snowboarders have recently extended the limits of technical snowboarding by performing triple-cork variations.

Flips and Inverted Rotations

Back flip

Flipping backwards (like a standing backflip) off of a jump.

Front flip

Flipping forward (like a standing frontflip) off of a jump.

Wildcat

A backflip performed on a straight jump, with an axis of rotation in which the snowboarder flips in a backward, cartwheel-like fashion. A double wildcat is called a supercat.

Tamedog

A frontflip performed on a straight jump, with an axis of rotation in which the snowboarder flips in a forward, cartwheel-like fashion.

McTwist

A forward-flipping backside 540, performed in a halfpipe, quarterpipe, or similar obstacle. The rotation may continue beyond 540° (e.g., McTwist 720). The origin of this trick comes from vert ramp skateboarding, and was first performed on a skateboard by Mike McGill. Shaun White has been known to rotate the move all the way to a Double McTwist 1260 (also known as a Tomahawk ^[1][2], first performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics.) Iouri Podladtchikov is another boarder to land a Double McTwist 1260.

Wet Cat

A variation of the McTwist but with a 900° spin. Invented by Todd Richards

Haakon flip

An aerial maneuver performed in a halfpipe by taking off backwards, and performing an inverted 720° rotation. The rotation mimics a half-cab leading to McTwist, and is named after freestyle legend Terje Håkonsen of Norway.

Lando-Roll

A Frontside cork 540/720 method done by Alaska's method master & best snowboarder Mark Landvik.

Misty flip

A forward-flipping backside spin performed on a straight jump. Similar in rotation to a McTwist, this maneuver is typically performed as a 540° rotation.

Rodeo flip; frontside rodeo

A backward-flipping frontside spin. Most commonly performed with a 540° rotation, but also performed as a 720°, 900°, etc.. First performed by York Shackleton.

Backside Rodeo flip; brodeo

A backward-flipping backside spin. Most commonly performed with a 540° rotation, but also performed as a 720°, 900°, etc..

Ninety Roll

A trick performed by back-flipping toward the landing of a jump, with a total rotation of 180° backside (i.e. spin 90° backside-backflip-spin 90°), therefore landing fakie. Essentially, this is a backside 180 backflip. This trick is sometimes confused with a backside Rodeo, though the Ninety Roll has a much more linear axis of rotation.

Chicane

A forward-flipping frontside spin performed on a straight jump. Typically performed as a 540° rotation. The name Chicane is a regional term, and this trick is somewhat uncommon, though several professional snowboarders have performed this trick in video parts, notably Dave Downing and Travis Rice.

Michalchuk

A trademark flip first performed in the halfpipe by Michael Michalchuk. A flat-spinning, on-axis backflip often grabbing melon, indy or method and rotating 540 degrees.

Doublechuk

A variation of the Michalchuk, but with two backflip rotations.

Rippey flip

A back-flipping frontside 360°, typically performed with a method grab. Named after its originator, Jim Rippey, although already performed 5 years earlier by former pro skateboarder and snowboarder John Cardiel.

Sato flip

Halfpipe trick done by Rob Kingwill (Sato is the Japanese word for sugar). It's something like a frontside McTwist. The rider drops in fast, rides up the transition as if doing a frontside 540°, pops in the air and grabs frontside, then throws head, shoulders, and hips down.

Inverted Hand Plants

Invert

Overlaying term for handstands on the edge of a halfpipe

Handplant

A 180° degree handplant in which the rear hand is planted on the lip of the wall and the rotation is frontside.

Sad plant

An invert with a sad grab (melon grab).

Elguerial

An invert where the halfpipe wall is approached fakie, the rear hand is planted, a 360 degree backside rotation is made, and the rider lands going forward. Named after Eddie Elguera.

Eggplant

A one-handed 180° invert in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the wall and the rotation is backside.

Eggflip

An eggplant where the rider chooses to flip over in order to re-enter the pipe instead or rotating 180 degrees. This trick is performed forward to fakie or switch (fakie to forward).

McEgg

An invert where the rider plants the front hand on the wall, rotated 540 degrees in a backside direction and lands riding forward.

Andrecht

A rear handed backside handplant with a front-handed grab.

Miller flip

A 360° frontside handplant to fakie.

Layback

A non-inverted handplant in which the leading hand is planted during a slide. The rider literally lays back, hence the name.

The lamp

A invert but both hands are plantet at the top of the halfpipe.

Killer Stand

You make an invert but you also take your back/rear hand on front hand's elbow.

Fresh

invert (front hand) but back flip is boned- no grab

J-Tear

Inverted frontside 540 with a hand plant in the middle. Originally a variation on the Jacoby Terror Air. This trick was invented by Mike Jacoby for a contest that didn't allow inverted aerials; inverted handplants, however, were acceptable.

Slides

Slides are tricks performed along the surface of obstacles like handrails and funboxes. In skateboarding, slides are distinguished from grinds because some tricks are performed by sliding on the surface of the skateboard, and others are performed by grinding on the trucks of the skateboard. However, because snowboards don't have trucks, the term grind doesn't apply to these types of maneuvers.

Many rail maneuvers are identified as frontside or backside, and these refer to the way in which the snowboarder approaches the obstacle. Frontside refers to a trick performed where a snowboarder approaches an obstacle that is in front of the toe edge of his snowboard. Backside refers to a trick performed in which a snowboarder approaches an obstacle that is behind the heel edge of his board. The direction that the snowboarder is facing while riding the obstacle has no bearing on the frontside or backside identifier. The frontside and backside identifiers are not used when a snowboarder travels straight toward the obstacle.

A feeble - tail press

50-50

A slide in which a snowboarder rides straight along a rail or other obstacle. This trick has its origin in skateboarding, where the trick is performed with both skateboard trucks grinding along a rail.

Boardslide

A slide performed with the snowboard perpendicular to the rail, and the rail passing beneath the centre of the snowboard, between the bindings. A boardslide is distinguished because the leading foot passes over the rail on approach. Can be performed frontside or backside.

Lipslide

A slide performed where a snowboarder straddles the obstacle, with his/her snowboard traveling perpendicular along a rail or other obstacle. The lipslide is distinguished from a boardslide because the trailing foot passes over of the rail on approach. When performing a frontside lipslide, the snowboarder is facing the rail. When performing a backside lipslide, a snowboarder has his back to the rail.

Blunt slide

Mimicking skateboarding, a blunt slide is a slide performed with the board positioned perpendicular do the direction of the slide. The tail of the snowboard travels along the top or side of the obstacle, while the nose is raised above the obstacle. Can be performed frontside or backside.

Nose Blunt

Similar to a blunt slide, only performed with the nose of the board sliding along the top or side of an obstacle, and the tail raised. Also performed frontside or backside.

Nose slide

A slide performed with the snowboard perpendicular to a rail, with the nose of the board sliding along the obstacle.

Tail slide

A slide performed with the snowboard perpendicular to a rail, with the tail of the board sliding along the obstacle.

Nose Press

A trick performed by traveling straight along an obstacle, with pressure being put on the nose of the board, such that the tail of the board is raised in the air.

Tail Press

A trick performed by traveling straight along an obstacle, with pressure being put on the tail of the board, such that the nose of the board is raised in the air. May be errantly referred to as a 5-0.

Smith

A slide performed to resemble a Smith grind from skateboarding.

Feeble

A slide performed to resemble a Feeble grind from skateboarding.

MJ

A slide that somewhat resembles a 50-50, a snowboarder slides along an obstacle on the toes of his toe edge, reminiscent of a dance move made popular by Michael Jackson.

Zeech

A slide where the snowboard is pressed while sliding perpendicular to the rail. Proper Zeeches are performed directly on ones front or back foot. Can be done frontside or backside. If you are Zeeching on your front foot, your tail will be in the air as high as possible, opposite if done on the snowboarders back foot. The Zeech was made popular at Windells Camp

Stalls

Stalls in snowboarding are derived from similar tricks in skateboarding, and are typically performed in halfpipes or on similar obstacles. Variations have been adapted as snowboards do not have trucks and wheels.

Nose-pick

Stalling on an object with the nose of the snowboard, while grabbing frontside, and then jumping back off the object into the jump you came off.

Board-stall; Disaster

A trick performed when a rider stalls on an object with his snowboard, with the point of contact between both bindings. The Disaster variation comes from skateboarding, and involves performing a frontside or backside 180 before stalling on the lip of the obstacle, and then re-entering.

Nose-stall

Similar to a board-stall, this variation involves stalling on the nose of the snowboard at the top of a transition or obstacle.

Tail-stall

The opposite of a nose-stall, this trick involves stalling on an obstacle with the tail of the snowboard. Often performed by approaching an obstacle fakie,

Blunt-stall

Mimicking skateboarding, and similar to a board-stall, this trick is performed by stalling on an object with the tail of the board (blunt stall), or the nose of the board (nose blunt stall). Distinguished from a nose-stall or tail-stall because during the stall, most of the snowboard will be positioned above the obstacle and point of contact.

Tail-block

A trick typically performed on the snow, or occasionally on an object, in which the snowboarder springs up and stands on the tail of his board while grabbing the nose.

Nose-block

Similar to a tail-block, but performed by standing on the nose while grabbing the tail of the board.

Tweaks and variations

One-footed

Tricks performed with one foot removed from the binding (typically the rear foot) are referred to as one-footed tricks. One footed tricks include fast plants in which the rear foot is dropped and initiates a straight air or rotation, the boneless, which is a fast-plant with a grab; and the no-comply, which is a front-footed fast plant.

Shifty

An aerial trick in which a snowboarder twists his body, rotating his/her board 90° and then returning it to its original position before landing. This trick can be performed frontside or backside, and also in variation with other tricks and spins.

Stiffy

Any grab where both the legs are boned-out (straightened as much as possible). Typically performed as a variation of a mute or frontside grab.

Stink-bug

Grabbing Frontside or Mute with the rider's elbow passing to the inside of the knees. Style conventions dictate that during a grab, the elbow should be positioned to the outside of the knee.

Tuck knee

Refers to a term used for skateboarding when the knee of either leg is dropped down to touch the top of the board. When referring to snowboarding it means that the rider attempts to put his knee on the board by putting his/her knee underneath the torso and then pulling down to the board.

Tweak

A term used in western ski areas for when an area of the board is strongly pulled to bend it into an arch.

Poke

A grab trick in which the front leg only or back leg only is boned-out.

Miscellaneous tricks and identifiers

Jib 

To ride on any surface that is not snow

Butter 

While traveling along the surface of the snow, this trick is performed by pressuring either the nose or tail of the snowboard in such a way that the opposite half of the snowboard lifts off of the snow, allowing for a pivot-like rotation. A butter can be performed as a partial rotation (90°), which is then reverted, as a continuous rotation (180°, 360°, etc.), or as a lead-in to an aerial maneuver.

Manual; Nose manual

While riding along the snow, pressuring the nose or tail such that the opposite end of the board is raised in the air.

Pretzel

Concluding a slide trick with a 270° spin opposite the direction in which you did a rotation during the trick's initiation.

Danish/bagel

Like a Pretzel, but spinning 270° off the rail in the same direction as you got on.

Disaster

When riding a wall ride, the rider performs a backside or frontside 180° spin and then stalls on the top of the wallride

Bonk

To tap an object or obstacle with your board.

Penguin Walk

To 'walk' while strapped into a snowboard by alternatively springing from nose to tail, propelling the snowboarder forward in a walking fashion.

Tail roll; nose roll

To pivot a 180° on the snow by pressuring the nose or tail of the snowboard and rotating around.

Tail, suicide, or tap off

Quickly tapping your tail or nose on the end of the rail/box as you are about to slide off of it.

Revert

To continue spinning on the snow after landing a jump in which a spinning trick was performed. This typically occurs unintentionally when the snowboarder cannot stop rotating as he lands his trick. Alternatively, this term can also describe a 'return' to riding position after performing a butter or rail trick in which there was some rotation performed. In this case, it is often the reversal of a prior, partial rotation, returning the snowboarder to his original stance..

References

1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/snowboarding/8521308.stm
2. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/snowboarding/news/story?id=4923369

External links

• Snowboarding Tricks and Slang
• Snowboarding Dictionary forum
• Snowboarding Terms website