How to Backflip on Skis

Getting Prepared

I skied probably 15 times in my life up until I was 8 years old and then switched to snowboarding. I tried skiing again when I was 20 and backflipped them my first day. I say this to let you know that if you’re nervous about going upside down, don’t be. I am an awful skier and I can do this trick. Chances are you’re a way better skier than me, so get rid of these nerves, listen up, and go stomp this trick. It’s not that hard. Just scary. In fact, it’s easier and more natural than a 360.

If you can backflip on a trampoline, off of a cliff, a diving board, or pretty much anything, you can do this trick. If you haven’t ever done a backflip, doing it on skis isn’t the best place to learn, but if you have good body awareness and can full commit, it’s not out of the question. It’ll just be a lot harder, so I’d recommend finding a trampoline first.

Finding the Jump

To get started, I’d recommend a decently poppy jump in the terrain park or a hand built jump that is just shy of a quarter pipe, around 3 feet tall. Building a jump like this is pretty ideal, because you can build into a soft landing and a super poppy jump like that throws you straight into the backflip. With that said, lots of people (including myself) learn this trick in the park and it’s not too different.

Sending the Backflip

Approach the jump ready to full commit and with confidence. Don’t try this trick if you can’t see yourself committing to it and stomping it. Have your knees slightly bent and your legs about shoulder width apart for your first go. Don’t think too much about your skis on the takeoff. As your feet leave the lip of the jump, pop and extend your knees as you lean back. Once you’re airborne and upside down, tuck your knees in if the jump is small. Just past the halfway mark, you will spot your landing. A key with the backflip is to not catch your tips. If you’re flipping slow, keep those knees in and tilt your toes up to keep those tips up. You can also slow down your rotation by extending your legs and body.

Bottom line is tuck to speed up, extend to slow down, but in either case, keeps those tips up. It’s better to land backseat the first try than to land too far frontseat. Backslaps aren’t too bad and double ejecting can be kinda fun. I say that as a snowboarder who never gets to eject. Anyway, try to just stomp it so you don’t have to double eject. Sorry for the tangent.

This is a pretty straightforward trick that just requires commitment. Get after it. Comment below with questions.