New Year, new tricks like they say in Finland (oh, yes, we know this kind of things too!). We decided to go trough a bit of a trick glossary of snowboarding and freestyle skiing…Just to make sure people know what they’re talking about, you know. Nobody wants to be a kook who doesn’t know the right jargon!
First some obstacles in the snowparks:
Kicker: It’s the thing out of snow you jump! Different sizes and shapes exist, always take the one you can make and check the speed from others!
Box: Obstacle from metal/plastic/wood that you can slide on. Most basic looks like a long box, but shapes vary as much as the imagination! It can be kinked, wave, rainbow, everything!
Kink box: Box with an angle at one point, for example first the box goes straight and then turns a bit down.
Rail: Metal pipe (round or square) which you can slide on. Usually the next step from the boxes. Handrails in the cities are new favourites of the pros!
Wall-ride: Big plywood wall that you can ride up and do tricks on.
Half-pipe: Long half-round shaped tube you can go down and do multiple tricks on one run!
Off we go with basic snowboarding trick definitions:
Straight air: This is the most basic jump, where everybody starts. Like the name indicates, you just jump straight!
Frontside: Frontside of your board is the side where your toes are at. Any frontside turn or spin is then one where you start the turn face first. Got it? Well, to put it simple, frontside turn for regulars is to the left and for goofies to the right!
Backside: Well, if you read trough above, backside is the opposite..meaning back facing forwards and so.
With rail tricks front- and backside appear the other way around. Don’t get too confused now! It all comes from the side that faces the rail when you approach it, when your board is still parallel to the rail. With boxes this does not make sense, since often you jump on the from the start of the box, but often with rails the riders jump on them from the side. So when you approach the rail with you back facing it, youre about to make a (backside) boardslide, since from that side you have to turn your face facing forwards. Go it? Don’t worry, it makes more sense when you see it or do it yourself!
50-50: The most basic trick one can perform on a rail or a box. Just slide trough parallel to the rail!
50-50 on a kinked box (Rider Kristiina Nyman)
(Backside) boardslide: The second most basic (In our opinion!) where you slide on a box or a rail your board perpendicular to the direction of the box/rail.
Boardslide on a kinked box
Frontside boardslide: The same as above, but your back/heel edge is facing forwards to the direction you are going (pretty opposite from the spinning fronside/backside definition)
Nose: the front end of your board
Switch: All boarders go either right or left leg forwards normally. Riding switch means riding the “wrong” leg first! Fakie is another term for switch riding, but nearly only used when describing landing a trick. Like frontside boardslide to fakie.
Caballerial (Cab): Any trick performed swicth and combined to a frontside spin or turn. For example Cab 360 is a frontside 360 spin which you take of switch!
Half-cab: Caballerial a.k.a switch frontside 180, the only one that has different name than all the rest of the cab spins!
Spinning: Pretty obvious; jumps where you rotate around, and the degrees tell how much! 180 = half circle, 360 = full circle and so on!
-
-
Spinning it with a grab! (Rider Tobias Aalderink)
Grab: This one is pretty obvious too, it means grabbing the board while performing a jump! There are tens of different grabs, but the most basic ones are Indy, where you grab you board on the toe-edge with your rear-hand in between your legs. Melon is the opposite, you grab with your front hand in between your legs, on the heel egde. The list of grabs is endless, but those are the two most basic ones!
And then something for the skiers too!
Spinning: The jumps whit rotation are the same as with snowboarding, it all comes down to the degrees. 180, 360 and so on!
Switch/Fakie: Also quite similar to snowboarding. Normally you ride you face forward, and when switch, your back is facing forward!
Grabs in freestyle skiing are tricks where you grab your ski(s) when jumping. Here are some of the basic ones:
Mute: When airborne, grab you ski with the opposite side hand.
Rocket Air: Turn your legs forwards when airborne and grab both skis with both hands
Tail grab: Grab the tail of one of your skis while airborne
Nose grab: The opposite of tail grab, you grab the nose of your ski!
Rail slide: Sliding sideways on a rail or a box
Iron Cross: When airborne, cross your skis in front of you.
Daffy: While in the air, make a split = one leg back, one front!
Backscratcher: Move your skis backwards so that they touch your back while you are airborne.
These all tricks are from the basics and good for beginners in the snow parks. Go out, push your limits and stomp some new tricks! If you feel like you can’t get these on your own, we at Lineupexplorers Snow Travel offer some nice freestyle courses! Check them out!
Stay safe and enjoy the new year of snow!
-Lineupexplorers Travel Team
Lineupexplorers – Ski Trips and Snow Travel Packages
Find your perfect ski trip! Lineupexplorers offers a huge selection of ski trips to destinations all around the world for the best possible price. Alaska, Russia, Austria, France, Canada, India and many more. Let’s go shred pow!
Comments (0) 
Demnächst sind wir dort sicherer unterwegs, dank ABS-Rucksäcke,juhu. Tobi wurde bei der Junior Open Rail Jam in Laax 2ter. Max wollte an den GromsOpen in Mayrhofen teilnehmen.Aber wegen den überraschend vielen Neuschnee- mengen wurde dies eine lustige Railsession.Den Rest des Tages steckte Max brusttief im Powder. Zu Hause auf der Zugspitze erlebten wir unglaubliche Wächten,Tiefschnee bis zur Hüfte und den Bau von Powderkickern.
Zusammen haben wir uns mit einem Freund zusammen für Wängl Tängl angemeldet und haben auch eine Facebook Seite erstellt: “BoarderBoys”. Dort könnt ihr auch unser Video checken!
