List-O-Mania!!

10 Stock Tricks That Every Snowboarder Needs

The Oxford Dictionary defines style as “A distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed“.

Style in snowboarding however, is something that can’t be defined, every single rider has their own unique fingerprint in the way that they ride. Whether it’s a tweak here, or a poke there – style is timeless and individual. What might be stylish to one person, can be horrible to another.

We’ve rounded up what we consider to be some of the most stylish tricks that every snowboarder needs on lock in this new series.

Thus, with the fog cleared, we’ve embarked on a series of tricks with a whole host of riders from different era’s and from different styles. Welcome to Style-101.

Backside 180 – Devun Walsh

Devun Walsh has been in the game for about just as long as people have been playing the game. He’s been a myriad of iconic movies and his 180 game is off the charts.

Don’t believe us? Check Devun’s part Forum Snowboard’s ‘The Resistance’ – all filmed in 6 days.

Frontside Boardslide – Jed Anderson

We could wax lyrical about Jed Anderson’s ridiculously tech abilities, his supply of lives that would kill a cat or his ability to slay backcountry booters as well, but we’ll let his skills do the talking.

Lipslide – Christy Prior

THE stock rail trick in our opinion. Nothing looks better than a lipslide pressed with so much tweak that you need safety goggles to protect your eyes. Kiwi slayer Christy Prior stomping one of the most bolts lipslides we’ve ever seen. Pretty sure one of her legs are genuinely above her head at one point…

The Slash – Nicolas Müller

A slash is like the punctuation in a storybook. You might have the best lines in the world, but without a slash, it’s just not right.

Up there with its close relative; the nose butter, the slash is the seal of approval on any backcountry line, slushy lip or powdery piste.

Like in the spray from a cutback in surfing, the height of your slash is everything. Nico Müller has a big stake in the claim to the master of slashes…

The Method – Terje Håkonsen

Terje Håkonsen is arguabky one of the fathers of the method. The classic case for the ‘above the binding’ school of method is Mr Sprocking Cat himself.

Whether boosted out of a quarter-pipe, superpipe, park booter, backcountry wedge or one of the hardest of all: the descending cliff drop method – Terje got that.

Frontside 360 – Halldor Helgason

Even as the more difficult twin of the Backside 360, it does seem like a criminally under-rated trick despite it’s place in the snowboarding hall of fame.

There’s a million and one combinations that can be done with the frontside 360 and we reckon Halldor’s onto a banger with his inverted front three. Style for days.

Ally-Oop – Danny Davis

Like a homeless man sprouting wings and gracefully rising into the sky like a shabby albatross, Danny Davis has one of the most distinctive Ally-Oop’s in the business.

A staple of the superpipe world and one of the best looking tricks you can get on lock in the stunt ditch.

Air to Fakie – Markus Keller

(Skip to 00:42 to get in on the action.)

The trick so good, even Barrack Obama knows it. The air-to-fakie is the superpipe cousin of the backside 180, but with dastardly differences.

Markus Keller, the pipe Chamäleon himself is no stranger to the air-to-fakie. Apart from being one of the longest serving halfpipe enthusiasts in snowboarding, his iconic drifting air-to-fakie is one of the best in the biz.

Switch Backside 540 – Spencer O’Brien

Spenny OB’s kicker game is next level. Battling it out with Jamie Anderson and Christy Prior for air supremacy, Spenny’s switch back 540 just ticks the boxes in what we look for in a trick.

A very notable mention has to go to Peetu Piiroinen on this trick as well for a switch back 540 with more pop than a weasel based nursery rhyme.

Stalefish – Jake Blauvelt

The noble stalefish is a grab for all occasions. Hips, pipes, sidehits, cliffs or booters are all suitable for the Prince in waiting of the grab world. Get it right with your legs tweaked, hand raised to the sky and board horizontal to the landing, it just feels right.

Get it wrong and it’s the disappointing equivalent of a damp squib.