The Five Freestyle Skiing Tricks

Truth be told, fun in ski vacation destination is only possible when snow sport enthusiasts know safe skiing techniques. Knowing these techniques allow vacationers at ski areas to get more out of their escapades. It helps one to navigate the slopes faster and with more freedom. This way, skiers and snowboarders get to discover not just a particular section of the ski area.

First on the list of five freestyle skiing tricks is called 360 – an aerial maneuver characterized by executing a full 360 degree turn in midair before making a smooth landing. To do this, upon takeoff, a skier must move his head and shoulder to the direction of the turn. Then he’d grab the tail of his ski and pull it into a spin before eventually landing on the ground.

A split done midair is called a Daffy – a popular trick where a skier heads to the lip of a jump and once in midair, splits. He would eventually return his legs to original position before landing. When doing daffy, skiers have to make sure they jump high above the ground to make sure the ski boards don’t touch the snow once they split. It is also necessary that skiers have already mastered the art of ski jumping.

Another trick involves grabbing the tail of a ski board while still midair and is called Tail Grab. For this skiing technique, skiers take off at a moderate speed, reach the lip of the jump, and jump into midair. Then skier would eventually cross the skis and grab the tail of the left ski with the right hand. Afterwards, skier returns his leg to original position for a safe landing.

Backscratcher is a technique where a skier moves his ski behind until its tails are in close proximity to the skier’s back. To do this, take off at a moderate speed and bend your knees as soon as you reach the lip of the jump. Position your skis to the side. Once midair, bend your knees further then stretch out your hand and skis behind you so that the tail of your board is close to your body. Lean backward for a backscratcher position, straighten your legs, and then bend your knees once more for safe landing.

The fifth most popular freestyle skiing trick is called Iron Cross – a style wherein snow sport enthusiasts cross their skis as soon as they reach midair. Similar to Daffy, skiers who do Iron Cross have to make sure they jump high enough so that the skis don’t get caught in the snow once they do the cross midair.

If you’re planning to spend a few days any of the ski areas within and outside the country, take time off to learn any of these freestyle skiing tricks and have more fun on the slopes.