What Are the World's Difficultest Snowboarding Tricks?
Every year, some young buck blasts down the hill, flies off a jump, and attempts something no other snowboarder has ever done (I'm looking at you, Marcus Kleveland).
If they don't land on their buttocks, they put pressure on the next person to do so. And as time passes, it becomes evident certain tricks stand out from the crowd. So I thought we should look at the most difficult snowboarding tricks in the world today.
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| What Are the World's Difficultest Snowboarding Tricks? |
Here are 11 of the world's most difficult snowboarding tricks:
- Backside quad 1980
- Quad cork 1800
- Half-cab quadruple backflip
- YOLO flip
- Backside 1260 off-the-heels
- Backside 540 rewind
- Double McTwist
- Chuck Taylor
- Rail tricks
- Butter tricks
- Method
I'm sure some of the tricks on the list have already raised an eyebrow. Are these the most difficult snowboarding tricks available?
You will have to read on to find out...
1. Backside Quad 1980
Every pro snowboarder's mind contains something unique. You may call it "a loose screw" or "the crazy gene." Yuki Kadono can handle it all!
The then-21-year-old spun four times on his vertical axis while performing a 540 horizontally to achieve the top spot on this list. He spun 1980 degrees in total, accomplishing something no one had done before.
"Since authoring this essay, Yuki Kadono has landed the world's first 2160!!
I felt compelled to add it on the list for you. It's not only one of the most difficult snowboarding moves ever landed, but it's also a good example of young guns upsetting the snowboarding landscape. Congratulations, Yuki!
2. Quad Cork 1800
Putting numerous quad corks at the top of our list may appear to be cheating, but it's only fair given that it's one of the most difficult tricks to master. It practically necessitates a gymnast-snowboarder-superhero skill set.
Shaun White famously abandoned the triple cork in 2013, claiming that "it wasn't worth the risk." So it would be insane not to praise the guys who managed to outdo the GOAT's feat.
Billy Morgan, a British boarder, was the first to document a quad cork 1800, and, maybe unsurprisingly, he also had gymnastics on his resume!
3. Half-cab Quadruple Backflip
Max Parrot, a Canadian snowboarding daredevil, is said to have hit this one on the same day Billy Morgon performed his Quad 1800.
It's a move that took a lot of air to squeeze in four backflips, and to top it off, he spun off the jump-riding switch. Madness!
4. The YOLO Flip
Do you remember this one? Iouri Podladtchikov, a Russian border guard, invented this (I-POD). It's another cork move with a front side takeoff, but this time it's simply a double with 1440 degrees of spin.
This move is difficult since it is in switch, which means the rider will enter the jump on their weak side. Someone who naturally leads with their right foot, for example, would take off with their left foot in front, and vice versa.
5. Backside 1260 Off-The-Heels
You definitely need to put your boots on to comprehend this one.
When trying for a backside spin, the simplest approach to obtain the requisite revolutions is to leave the jump on your toes and let your edge do the job. Going 'off the heels' requires you to generate all of your power from your core, making it more about strength.
You're also risking a severe edge-catch, which makes it much gnarlier!
6. Backside 540 Rewind
Number 6 will not make you dizzy as much as the first two techniques on this list. But that shouldn't diminish the accomplishment. Marcus Kleveland is still doing something technically difficult despite rotating less.
This one requires completing a full 540 and'rewinding' 180 degrees while still in the air. To generate the torque required to stop the spin and reverse direction, you must have amazing control over your body. This one will surely require a six-pack!
7. Double McTwist
Skateboarding may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the McTwist... But it's just as much a snowboarding motion.
The single has one backflip and a 540-degree rotation. The double adds - you got it - another flip for a total rotation of 1260 degrees.
The McTwist was conceived in 1984 by skateboarder Mike McGill, and the snowboarding double was popularized by none other than Shaun White.
8. Chuck Taylor
This move, also known as a double Michalchuk, is comparable to the double McTwist in that it is effectively a double backflip with a horizontal spin. Canadian snowboarder Michael Michalchuk popularized the single variant, whereas American Taylor Gold popularized the double.
It differs from a cork in that the horizontal spins occur after the backflips. Many snowboarders prefer it because you can see your landing all the way through.
9. Rail Tricks
This item on the list may make experienced rail travelers laugh. Rails, on the other hand, represent one of the scariest and most difficult trick lists to learn for us ordinary mortals.
I've grouped rail tricks together because the numerous trick breakdowns can be quite detailed.
Rails are the most difficult snowboarding tricks in the world.
Whether it's boxes going into rainbow rails or jumps leading into flat sections, rails are unquestionably a prime opportunity for some of the most difficult snowboarding tricks in the world.
Urban situations with the rider floating down a flight of stairs also make for fantastic films, regardless of how much I wince at the possible mishaps.
10. Butter Tricks
This is more of an add-on than anything else, as the rider exploits the flex on his board to pop himself up for any variety of tricks. It's a method to give an existing move a new spin - sometimes literally.
Appear at a Marcus Kleveland highlight reel and tell me the moves he's doing don't look tremendously difficult. They're also among the most eye-catching.
11. Method
To complete out this selection, I chose a timeless classic. The Method is the penultimate move on this list since it is by far the easiest, but as far as pure grabs go, it is one of the most difficult. It's also by far the most fashionable.
The rider must kick up behind him in mid-air and grab the backside of the board between the front binding and the nose. Nothing looks more appealing than a lengthy Method.
As the phrase goes, anyone can do a Method, but only a few will fully master it.
Conclusion
Those were some of the world's most difficult snowboarding tricks.
Trick difficulty is obviously subjective. I was also playfully joking with several of them. However, I challenge you to find a trick that is more difficult than the ones at the top of the list!
But, in your opinion, what is the most difficult snowboarding trick?
Please let me know in the comments!