Snowboarding tricks keep evolving getting more and more challenging as the sport progresses making it tough for those snowboarders in competition to keep pace with the new standard.  This new standard, dubbed the double-cork is definitely good reason for categorizing snowboarding as an extreme sport.  Rightfully so, its an extremely difficult trick.  To describe it, double-corks are two diagonal flips, or off-axis rotations.  To picture it, try tossing up a wine bottle cork into the air with a jerk in your wrist as you release it allowing the cork to flip diagonally twice.  Watch the double-cork in all its glory as Shaun White nails it to perfection in this clip.

If you are a snowboard enthusiast and haven’t heard of Shaun White then presumably you’ve  been hiding under a rock.  This guy is an icon in the world of snowboarding not just nationally, but globally.  In the clip above, you may have noticed he’s added a bit of flavor of his own.  In addition to the double-cork, as if it wasn’t hard enough already, he also does a 1080 grab.  So to recap, while he flips diagonally twice (double-cork), he simultaneously executes three full spins (1080 degrees) while grabbing his board.  There’s definitely a WOW factor involved when watching this guy perform.  Most will agree that calling his performances amazing won’t even suffice…more like extraordinary.

This ultra-difficult trick will set the tone in this upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and those riders that haven’t included it in their bag of tricks will have to settle for Silver or Bronze.  Essentially, the Gold will belong to the master of the double-cork.

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What Other Snowboarders Are Searching For:

Rail sliding is insanely fun and my personal favorite when riding through snowboard terrain parks.  There are now a wide variety of different types of rails (i.e. short, long, small, tall, thin, wide, box-type, etc.)  Check out the length of the rail in this clip…

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What Other Snowboarders Are Searching For:

The majority of snowboarding tricks are performed in the air off jumps or ramps.  They consist of a variety of twists, turns, flips, and grabs.  Most of which were made up by pro snowboarders who’ve usually coined a name for them after performing and completing them to perfection in competitions.

Here are a few…

Backflip Rodeo: Performed off a jump…and the rider turns upside down while simultaneously rotates their body and board 360, 540, or 720 degrees.  This trick requires super speed pre-jump.

Ollie: When a snowboarder jumps over small obstacles while riding.

Air to Fakie: When riders jump off jumps, boxes, or rails and complete a 180 turn in the air and land fakie (opposite stance).

Nose to Tail Roll: When a rider shifts his/her weight to the nose thus lifting the back-end and spins 180 degrees and continues riding fakie.

Backside Air: Completed while performing an aerial trick off a half-pipe

Grind: Performed on the top-edge of a half-pipe where the middle of the snowboard slides along the edge.

Nose Grab: When a snowboarder grabs the front-end of the snowboard while performing an aerial trick.

Tail Grab: When a snowboarder grabs the back-end of the snowboard while performing an aerial trick.

Wheelie: When riders lift the front-end or back-end of their snowboards while continuing to ride down the slope maintaining their balance.

Method: Performed off a half-pipe when the rider gets air, grabs the board pulling it towards their back.

McTwist: Performed off an almost vertical jump and combines a front flip while in rotation twisting 540 degrees while also grabbing the board at the same time, then landing fakie.

Here’s a sick clip I found showcasing several of the tricks mentioned above.  Note: If you mind rock music, you’ll want to turn your volume down.

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What Other Snowboarders Are Searching For:

Freeride: Generally refers to snowboarders that make use of the entire mountain cruising and carving their way down the slopes catching air, doing wheelies, and performing bonks along the way. Beginner to intermediate riders.

Freestyle: These are the snowboarders that spend the majority of their time at the snowboard terrain parks performing tricks off the jumps, rails, and halfpipes. Advanced to expert riders.

Alpine: The need for speed is the major goal for these snowboarders making the triple diamond runs their home.  They hammer down the slope traveling at high speeds racing to get all the way down to the bottom of the mountain only to repeat the process over and over throughout their day on the mountain.  Advanced to expert riders.

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