Snowblade Tricks

Ski blades employ the same basic concept as regular skis. The major difference is that blades are about half the size of normal skis and the user does not carry poles. Their short length makes turning them very easy as well as learning aerial tricks. There are a plethora of tricks to learn on snowblades ranging from easy to expert. Learn what these tricks are to better understand snowblading or to try and learn them yourself.

  1. Iron Cross

    • In the Iron Cross, the snowblades are crossed in front of the boots in the air to form an X or a shape that somewhat resembles a cross. The blades are uncrossed just before landing. The goal is to keep the cross as long as you can in the air.

    Daffy

    • A trick that is adapted from skiing. With the daffy, you kick one leg forward and one leg back while in the air. The movements are swift and fast and you try to extend your legs as far as they can go. The knees are meant to stay straight for this trick, which helps with the leg extension.

    Switch 180s and 360s

    • Switch tricks mean you are riding backwards with the tails of your skis leading down the hill. With a Switch 180 you take off switch, spin 180 degrees in the air and land regular. With a Switch 360, you take off and land switch as well.

    Handplant

    • This trick is done in the halfpipe. The snowblader approaches the wall of the halfpipe and plants his hand on top of the wall while the body rises above the hand until he is inverted with his weight being supported by the hand. At its apex the trick resembles someone doing a one-handed handstand.

    Indy Grab

    • The Indy is done by grabbing your ski directly under your tight ski boot. This trick can be done while the skis are straight but some prefer to cross up the skis and then do the grab, as they think it looks better.

    Rewind

    • The Rewind is a variation on the 360. The trick begins with a normal 360 but adds a twister midway to give the appearance you are stalled out midair, before rotation continues. A Twister is where you pivot your skis to the left, then to the right, in unison with each other while in the air. So if you are spinning your 360 to the left and then pivot your skis to the right it can appear as if your spin has stopped.