50/50
Essentially skiing in a straight line over a box (or a rail feature). Like the pop, a 50/50 might not look like a ‘trick’, but it’s the first step in any jibbing journey. Good news, if you pick a friendly feature (such as low, wide, and short box), any level of skier can nail a 50/50. We hope this three-year-old provides some inspiration.
Align your skis with the centre of the box. Ski over the box whilst maintaining parallel and flat skis. Many boxes have a small take-off or ‘lip’. In this case, do a small pop to get onto the box. Same goes for the landing – a small pop is required to maintain a balanced ski stance as you drop from the box to meet the snow. In short: pop on; ski straight; pop off.
Tips:
Box surfaces are (usually) plastic and slippery, in particular when coming into contact with ski edges. To avoid your edges clashing with the box, keep your skis completely flat.
Slow yourself down before the box in order to avoid snow-ploughing onto/on the box (a snow-plough engages your edges, so steer clear!)
Rail slide
Does what it says on the tin: skis slide sideways on a jib feature (e.g. a box, pipe, or rail). Rail slides are the foundation for all rail tricks and use the same technique whether you’re on the friendliest box or the gnarliest rail.
Pop off the take-off, turn your skis 90 degrees while in the air (either left or right), land on the feature with your skis at 90 degrees and slide along. To exit, repeat in reverse: pop off the rail; turn your skis 90 degrees while in the air; land with your skis parallel (facing either forwards or switch – your choice!)
Nailing the correct body stance is crucial to successfully sliding boxes and rails. Keep your skis wide apart (over shoulder width) to create a stable platform for sliding. Your weight should be stacked over the front foot to prevent you falling inside/uphill whilst on the rail.
Tips:
Eyes on the prize (the prize being the end of the rail)! This will help you stay aligned with the rail.
Remember: flat skis are friendly skis when it comes to jibbing. This will also prevent you from tilting onto your inside edges and falling uphill.
Backflip
The ultimate crowd-pleaser. Naysayers claim they’re overrated, but we say nothing looks better than a big old laid out backie.
Nope, backflips don’t have much to do with bending or arching your back, it’s all in the hips. As you pop with your legs, project your hips upwards towards the sky whilst gradually looking backwards towards the jump. Keep your eyes peeled to spot the landing, which will come into view as your upper body completes the rotation. Bring your legs back underneath you just in time to stomp.
Tips:
The quicker you set your hips back, the quicker you will rotate. Small jumps require an explosive pop and set. When it comes to larger jumps, patience is a virtue – set your hips back gradually to initiate a slower rotation.
Find soft landings for flip attempts. First, get comfortable upside down on a trampoline (a diving board or gymnastics mat will also do the job). Next, build a small kicker into fresh snow. Feeling solid? Take it to the park on a soft and slushy park day.
Frontflip
Same as a backflip but forwards? (Well mostly, there’s a few differences).
First things first, pop. Without a good pop, you will nosedive towards the ground. If that doesn’t sound too appealing (it shouldn’t), prioritise a strong pop on the take-off.
To initiate the rotation, either pop off two feet evenly and begin to tuck forwards (gymnastics style). Alternatively, bring your stronger leg forwards and kick your weaker leg back on the take-off. Pop off your front ski to propel you into the forwards rotation (a ‘punch-front’, ‘ninja’, or ‘staggered’ take-offs provide more forwards momentum on smaller jumps). Bring your head towards your knees and tuck to complete the rotation.
Tips:
The quicker you tuck, the quicker you flip.
To stall your rotation on larger jumps, keep your eyes on the landing for as long as possible whilst remaining in a stretched out (or ‘superman’ position) before tucking. When you see the landing approaching, tuck to complete the rotation.
As with backflips, get your frontflips dialled in on a trampoline and soft landings before heading to the park.
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