Frontflipping skis can be a little intimidating, but really isn’t too difficult. Before attempting this trick, I would recommend being able to frontflip on a trampoline or off of a diving board, as well as being comfortable hitting jumps on your skis. Most people also learn to backflip or 360 skis before the frontflip, but it’s not necessary. Backflips are easier and aren’t a bad idea to have in your bag of tricks, as they will help with air awareness on skis of going upside down. But truthfully, as long as you can hit jumps comfortable and have frontflipped before you’re ready to go.

Finding the Jump

Frontflips don’t require a particularly special jump. While backflips are ideal on a poppy jump, frontflips can be done on steep or flatter takeoffs. Super steep takeoffs aren’t ideal as they actually make the trick a little harder, but some decent pop is good. My first frontflip was on a 15-20 foot small park jump with a semi-poppy takeoff. A jump around that size is good to learn on, as one of the hardest parts of frontflips on skis is judging the speed of your rotation since they’re blind. It’s better to start small and work your way up.

Sending It

So you’ve found the jump and you’re ready to get inverted in the forward direction. The biggest thing I was nervous about on my first frontflip was getting over my tips. I was nervous with how much ski was in front of me that I’d try to flip too early and just sail forward headfirst into the landing. What actually happened was that I stomped it, and my fears of getting over my tips were irrational. One thing to focus on in the takeoff is popping slightly earlier than you might on another trick. On a frontflip, the bulk of your pop should come when your tips are right at the end of the takeoff. This allows you to get a little bit of “snap” from your skis to help kick the flip over. If you pop late, you’ll feel it takes a lot more tuck to bring the flip around. This is unlike a backflip, where you pop as your boots are nearing the end of the takeoff as opposed to your tips.

As you snap forward, focus on rising as well. Don’t just throw down into a forward tuck – you’ll get no height and the flip will be low, fast, and sketchy. Think about popping forward but still letting your chest rise up as you throw your momentum into a frontflip. For your first flip on a small jump, tuck until you feel you’ve about finished the rotation and then open up. You’ll quickly figure out if you misjudged or not. On early frontflips, it’s best to underrotate than to overrotate. A backslap and shin bang is easier to deal with than getting bucked over the front to your face. Frontflips are blind to land, which is what makes them scary for many people. After you’ve done 1 or 2, they’re not that hard to judge rotation and are very fun to do.

Once you’ve landed a couple on smaller jumps and want to take them to bigger features, I recommend laying out the beginning part of the flip. It doesn’t have to be full superman, but you can stare at the landing without tucking until you know you have just enough time to flip left. At that point, you can tuck hard and finish the flip out. This essentially allows you to flip any size jump the same as you would a small jump – you simply lay it out at the beginning until it’s time to flip, and then you can flip at the same speed each time. This take out a lot of the guesswork. Instead of being tucked and blind for say 2 seconds, you know exactly where you are for 1.5 seconds and quickly rotate the flip in 0.5 seconds. This isn’t the method everyone likes, but I do personally find it easier to judge.

Punch Fronties

If you want to learn tiny frontflips off of knuckles, rollers, natural features, etc. they’re not too much different aside from the takeoff. On a jump you can take off evenly since there’s so much time, but for punch frontflips one foot must dominate the takeoff to initiate a harder snap. To do so, lift your dominant foot right before you want to flip and then try to snap it down to initiate power and force over the tip of that ski. Your back ski will follow (your legs should be slightly staggered) and you can then drive that tip off the lip as well to provide a little extra momentum. From there, everything else is the same. Keep it tucked tight and ride away clean.

Common Mistakes and Closing Remarks

The most technical and difficult part of the frontflip is the takeoff. Taking off to early isn’t too common, but if that is your issue be patient. I know I said the takeoff is earlier than many tricks, but it’s not too early. Be patient and remember to snap when your tips are at the lip of the takeoff. Many people, on the other hand, flip late. This makes it hard to get a lot of snap and causes you to flip slowly. In a frontflip, it’s better to flip fast and open up to slow your rotation down than to wish you were flipping faster and not be able to do much about it. Focus on snapping at the correct time so you have as much control in the air as possible.

Frontflips aren’t an incredibly common trick, but they’re super fun. Once you get past the fact that they’re blind and learn to judge your rotation, they truly are a blast and learning to lay them out makes you feel like superman. Best of luck this trick! Comment with any questions!

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Learning to jump on skis is essential for any freestyle skier from park to big mountain. Jumping is a fundamental skill that is a building block for everything else you’ll learn in freestyle skiing. Before attempting to hit a jump, be sure you’re very comfortable with basic skills. This involves making turns as well as skiing at high speeds.

I always prefer park jumps for learning because they are perfectly built and there should be a variety of sizes to choose from depending what mountain you’re riding. Natural features work as well, but it tends to be harder to find a good beginner hit. When first learning, start on the smallest jump you can find and work your way up. There are a few factors that go into jumping on skis: speed, body position, and pop.

All 3 of these factors play a big role in successfully hitting a jump on your skis. For small jumps, speed should be easy to judge. It becomes harder as you start hitting bigger features. Coming up short on a jump, or “knuckling”, is no fun and is hard to ride away from. If you can follow someone into the jump who has hit it before and match their speed, do so. Once you have a good idea of the speed required, you’re ready to hit the jump. Approach the jump with mellow turns. As you reach the takeoff, transition to your flat bases and bend your knees. As you leave the takeoff, extend your knees slightly to get “pop”, which helps you gain height and clear the jump. Keep your body relaxed and don’t stiffen up.

As you hit the landing, put your skis down flat based. Once you have control of yourself, immediately carve onto an edge to keep yourself in control and prevent yourself from catching an edge. Bend your knees to absorb the impact. As you become more comfortable, you can begin hitting bigger jumps as well as learning freestyle tricks. Also, grabbing your skis can help keep you locked in and calm in the air. One of the easiest beginner grabs is the safety grab, which is either hand on your outer edge right next to your boot.

Once you learn to hit jumps on your skis, endless possibilities are created. The mountain becomes your playground as everything starts to look like a jump takeoff. Have fun and comment below with questions or progress!

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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.

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Make sure you’ve got your carving 360s dialed in before you try a 540. You should also be able to ski switch comfortably and do 180s off of jumps. Learning the 540 for a lot of people is actually easier than learning how to 360. This is because once you get past the discomfort of landing backwards off of a bigger jump, you actually have much more time to spot your landing and ride away clean. Let’s get into it!

The 540

Setting up for this trick, you’ll want a jump that’s a bit loftier than the one you learned a 360 on. I would recommend something with a minimum 20 foot gap from takeoff to landing. Take an s-carve into the jump and as you come up the takeoff, take your trailing arm and drive your shoulders towards the direction that you’re spinning. Make sure you look for the tails of your skis.

As you come around to 360, you’ll see the landing. From there, all you have to do is not open up as you would for a 360. Keep your body tucked/tight and push your heels towards the landing. Once your skis come in contact with the snow, continue to look over your shoulder as you ride away switch.

Extra Tips

If you find yourself landing really nose heavy on your 540s, try coming off the jump with pressure on the front of your boots. The easiest grabs to learn with the 540 are mute, safety, and tail. Best of luck with this trick and leave a comment below with questions!

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What up shredders? Today we’re going to learn how to do 360s on skis. This is an introductory level freestyle trick. It should be one of the first tricks you learn, along with maybe a backflip or a 180. With that said, this trick is actually easier than a 180 because you don’t have to know how to ski switch. As long as you can commit, this is a minimally technical trick that you can ride away from in just a couple tries. You should be comfortable hitting small jumps and getting grabs with control before trying this trick. If you can do that, you’re ready to 360.

Initially Learning the 360

As you’re approaching the takeoff of a jump, keep both feet planted. Stay flat on your bases. Put your arms out to the side, putting your body into a T shape. Your knees should have a slight bend and your feet should be shoulder width apart, or even a bit wider. As you come up the takeoff of the jump, keep your arms parallel to the ground, but start to turn them the opposite way you’re going to spin. Be sure to keep your bases flat and not to cross your skis on the takeoff. No carve is necessary when first learning this trick.

When you’re about to reach the lip of the jump, bring your arms back the direction you’re going to spin while simultaneously turning your head and looking for the tails of your skis. Remember to pop as you leave the lip and initiate your spin. While you’re in the air, keep looking for the tails of your skis until you can see the knuckle of the jump. At this point, open up to slow down your rotation. Put your skis down and ride away smooth.

Cleaning It Up and Helpful Tips

Once you’ve landed a dozen or so 360s and have gotten comfortable, you’re ready to start carving into them. The only thing that really changes is your initial approach into the jump. If you’re spinning right, approach on the right side of the takeoff. If you’re spinning left, approach on the left. As you approach the takeoff, carve towards the center the of the jump and then switch edges to be carving the same direction you’re going to spin. The goal is to be on your edge while leaving the jump completely straight.

Initiate your spin and pop as you normally would, and focus on staying upright. Carving can put you off axis, so remember to keep your head straight upright. Wherever your head looks your body will follow. As you get comfortable, you can start getting grabs, going off axis, or doing hand drags. The easiest grabs when learning are either safety or japan.

Best of luck! Leave a comment below with questions or comments.

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Doing 270s onto rails can be scary at first, but once you get them dialed they’re a lot of fun. You’ll want to have normal rail slides dialed along with 270s off before you try this trick. This tutorial is going to teach you how to do a regular 270 on, where your tips go over the rail first. It’s best to learn on a ride-on rail to avoid catching your tips, and then you can move onto urban-on features. This trick requires commitment, so go into it with your head in the right place.

Setting up for the 270

For a 270 on a rail you set up just like a 360 and as you pop of the lip don’t throw your body as hard as you would a 360 and make sure to keep your legs shoulder width apart and prepared for impact. When above the rail and while on it, keep your eyes focused on the end of the rail to stabilize yourself. Keep a balanced position on the rail with most of your weight on your back foot until the end of the rail when you pop off and finish your 360 rotation with the last 90 to land. Note that 270s on require spinning your unnatural direction onto the rail or sliding the rail your unnatural direction. Most people find that spinning your comfortable way and landing unnatural is easiest. If you choose to go this route, it is helpful to dial in unnatural rail slides first.

Tips Up!

Patience is key when learning this on urban-on features, as you need to wait to start your rotation until your tips are over the rail. As you rotate, look for the rail and once you spot it put your skis down in a slide and look to the end of the rail until you come off clean. Good luck!

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The Backside 450 off is a natural progression after you’ve got your back 270s off dialed in and are looking to get a little more technical. This is fun trick to do on big features, but even on smaller rails you can learn to whip this rotation around.

Setting Up

You’re going to approach and get onto a rail as you would a normal skier slide. Once on the rail, keep most of your weight on your back foot. Dip the nose side of your front ski down to create more torque when you get to the last couple feet of the rail. Then at the end of the rail throw your leading shoulder in a thrusting motion in accordance to the size of the drop off the rail. Once off the rail and at a 270, you will simply be doing another 180, which some do with a twist of a hip for style. When first learning, focus on continuing to look over your shoulder and keep your body rotating until you’re looking back uphill and have brought it around to 450.

Riding Away Clean

Once landed, keep a centered stance, knees bent, and get back into your switch stance looking backwards to setup for your next trick. Once you’ve got your blind 270s dialed the back 450 is just committing to throwing a little bit harder and riding away switch. Set your edge harder and wind into the spin more and you’ll have this trick in no time. Leave a comment below when you stomp it!

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Alright fools, get your pencils out and take notes because you bout to get learnt. With this trick, as with any good relationship, it’s all about commitment. Believe it or not, this isn’t a very hard stunt as long as you know how to front flip. Basically the only thing that separates this from a typical front flip is that you’re holding the beginning of the motion as long as the jump will allow.

Send It Like Superman

Doing this on a medium sized jump (30ft-40ft) is optima.l Any smaller and you can’t reach full extension, much larger and you just might poop your pants first go around. To start, come at the jump dead straight as if you were going to do a straight air. As you come up the transition of the takeoff, make sure your knees are bent ready to pop. You want to start leaning forward and putting pressure on the front of your boots. Once you get to the top of the lip, stretch out your arms in front of you and jump forward like you’re tackling. Once you have reached full extension and you can see the lip of the jump beneath and behind you, this is when its time to tuck.

To initiate the flip and get your feet back under you, it’s best to bring your hands down to your knees as if you’re hugging them. The end of this trick is pretty blind as with most front flips. Unlike normal, because of the extension at the beginning you can better time the rotation. Once you feel your head go under your body, its time to start opening up. Arch your back and plant your legs keeping your knees bent. Ride away like a pimp, and remember, you get bonus points if you do your first one in a superman onesie.

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Learning the Trick

Come into the take off with a good amount of speed, the faster you go, the more time you’ll have to pull the spin around. If you exceed mach 6, you’ve gone too far. Start with a long carve approaching the knuckle. Once you get close, you’re going to lean into the side you want to rotate over. For me that’s my left, so I carve in and drop my left shoulder. Looking back towards the tails of my skis,
I simultaneously pop hard off my bases to get me airborne. Once this happens, drop your hands to the snow. They should drag only for a split second right under your face. This whole time keep looking over your shoulder to keep momentum.

If you do this correct, you should already be looking towards your landing. Bring up your knees so your tails are clear the put down the landing gear for a clean run out. This trick is easy as long as you commit and don’t give up. Always a good go to on an icy day because its a low risk high reward stunt. Once you got these down, its super easy to take it to wall rides, tire taps, pills, and powder pillows!

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