Front side tricks in a half pipe

Snowboarding in a half pipe offers a lot of variations to tried and true tricks. One zone of the half pipe where this is very true is the front side of the ramp. There are many tricks and variations of these tricks that can be performed there.

The first thing to learn is how to get air. You need to be able to do an Air-to-Fakie on command, 180s and other related tricks in order to move on. Your confidence handling air will allow you to vary your routine and start to really work the front side of the half pipe you are riding.

Once you have mastered airs you can begin to vary them. The simplest way to vary any trick is with grabs. Grabbing your snowboard in various locations with either hand will allow you to do new tricks. An important key to pulling smooth grabs is to tuck you in. Make sure that you pull up your knees and thus the snowboard as close as possible to your chest. This will give you more reach with your arms and make many grabs, such as the Slob air, much easier.

Air grabs can be divided loosely into groups based upon where you grab the snowboard. Lets begin by looking at air grabs where you grab the toe edge of your snowboard. If you use your front hand to grab the nose of your snowboard you have done a Slob air but if you use your rear hand instead you have done a Crail air. Grabbing the middle of your snowboard with your rear hand is an Indy air. To really wow people you can poke you back leg out and extend your back hand up into the air while doing an Indy air to turn it into a Mute air.

You can vary those tricks and increase the challenge by changing the side of the snowboard that you grab. Instead of grabbing the toe side of your snowboard grab the heel side of your snowboard. To try a Method air grab the heel side of your snowboard between the bindings with you front hand and raise it up as high as you can. When you do the same thing with your backhand it is now a Stale Fish. If a Stale Fish isn't your thing then bone your back leg and raise your front arm up in to the air while doing a Method air to change it in to a Fresh Fish.

What comes after heel side grabs? How about a Double grab? A Double grab is the act of grabbing your snowboard twice when you get air. Usually you will do one grab as you launch up out of the ramp and then do another grab as you re-enter the half pipe. To really add flair pulls a 180-degree between the grabs.

The front side wall of a half pipe is the next natural progression when it comes to learning how to really ride a half pipe. Generally it is easy to learn tricks on the front side since you are not riding Fakie but as you get better you will want to start to work the back side of the half pipe.

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