Naming Jib Tricks

This free jibbing tutorial takes a look at the naming of snowboard jib tricks and gives you an understanding of why they're named certain ways. Just remember, two other jibbing videos have been added to the Streaming Membership this month to improve your jib game alongside this free tutorial:

How To Boardslide Street Style Features
How To Frontside Lipslide

The naming of most snowboard tricks comes from skateboarding. The most important thing to take away from this lesson is that all snowboard jib tricks are named according to which side you approached the rail (or feature) from.

(Narrating/Rider: Nev Lapwood. Film/Editing: Adison MacDonald. Filmed At: Whistler Blackcomb)

Frontside

If the rail or box is in front of you as you approach, it's frontside and all the tricks you do from that direction are frontside tricks. These are commonly shortened and written as FS or front; e.g. Frontside Bluntslide, FS Blunt or Front Blunt.

This is a frontside 50-50.

Backside

If the rail or box is behind you as you approach, then all the tricks in this direction are called backside tricks. These are commonly shortended and written as BS or Back; e.g. Backside Lipslide, BS Lip or Back Lip.

This is a backside 50-50.

Boardslides vs. Lipslides

Just to squash any misconceptions out there, a boardslide is where the nose of your board goes over the rail into the sliding position.

Nev's nose is going over the feature, making it a boardslide.

Whereas a lipslide is where your back foot goes up and over the rail into the sliding position. Lipslides are generally considered a little bit more difficult than boardslides.

Notice how the tail is going over the feature, making it a lipslide.

Boxes

When snowboarding, you can also approach many features from directly in front. This causes a lot of confusion because we can no longer tell which direction to name the trick from and if it has been hit from the frontside or backside. Backside Boardslide

Just a boardslide folks, nothing to see here.

As a general rule, if there's no obvious direction, then it's counted as a boardslide and not a lipslide. For example, sliding forward like this (above) is called a backside boardslide, even though you didn't really approach from the backside direction.

At Home

Every time you Jib at home on the Balance Bar, think about the naming of your tricks. Say out loud what trick you are going to do, because using the correct terms for your snowboard tricks also mean you can visualize the trick in your mind every time you say it or hear it.

Quiz time! Is this frontside or backside?

Take Note

Tricks are not named according to which direction your body faces.
Tricks are not named according to which direction your body is rotating.
They are named in which direction you had to approach the feature from.

Next time you're in the park, think about the naming of your tricks; while you're on the chair, talking with your mates, even as you're riding into the feature. This will mean you're not only walking the walk but talking the snowboard talk and ultimately, improving your riding.

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Alex McCann
Snowboard Addiction
Our Goal Is To Improve Your Riding

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