Yo! My name is Sam. I am a professional writer and a passionate snowboarding enthusiast. I’ve worked as a snowboard instructor at Steamboat Springs, CO, and I’ve traveled the globe in search of the world’s best cup of hot chocolate.

When I started snowboarding when I was 12 years old, I was lucky to stay on my feet and keep my butt from getting soaked in the snow. Along this journey of being a snowboarding enthusiast, I’ve improved exponentially both technically and creatively. Snowboarding is all about expressing your creativity. All you have to do is take the first step.

Doing tricks while riding a snowboard is a great way to spice things up on the slopes and possibly impress those lift mommies. Snowboarding is one of the world’s most physically demanding activities, which is why you are going to need to be in tip-top shape if you are going to take full advantage of your snowboarding experiences. Here are 5 beginner tricks that everyone should learn first.

Learning the Basics

When it comes to learning new tricks on a snowboard, it is essential to have the basics down. You can’t be a black belt without being a yellow belt!

The tricks listed below to set you up for your future. They are the easiest, most basic tricks you can learn all by yourself. Sure, you might have some of them down already, but, if you can master these, you can move on to harder, more impressive tricks. Most importantly, your safety should be your #1 priority.

Things To Practice Before Trying These Tricks

• 50-50 boards slide on a box (board stays completely straight).
• Ollies and nollies.
• Presses on your board’s tail and nose.
• Riding switch.

Once you feel confident you can do those without eating a mouthful of snow, you can begin trying these tricks. It is essential you feel confident doing these things because you are going to need them for these tricks. I attached videos of every trick so you can see them in real-time.

5 Tricks To Learn First

Photo by Andrii Denysenko on Unsplash

Butter Nose Role

Let’s start things off nice and easy. For this first trick, you won’t even need to leave the surface of the snow. A butter is when you press the nose or tail of the board downward while lifting the opposite end of the board. It takes some core strength to get this trick down, but if you have a soft-flex snowboard it should be a little easier.

A butter nose role is when you press into the nose of the board and switch stances to your opposite foot (a 180 on the ground). You can do these either way; you can throw your back foot forward and make it a front-side 180 or you could throw your back foot backward and make it a backside 180. Just make sure your center of gravity is in the middle of your board and you’ll be A-O-K.

Video: How to Butter Nose Roll - Snowboarding Tricks

Front-side and Back-Side 180

Let’s ramp things up a little bit, literally. For this trick, you are going to need to find a small jump or a favorable side hit. Practice hitting the jump a few times and make sure you can stick the landing before trying this trick. Similar to the butter nose role, this trick is performed by using your core and shoulders to twist in mid-air.

Front-side and back-side 180s are essential to your trick-learning journey. I recommend trying the front-side 180 first because you will be able to see what is in front of you at all times. The back-side 180 can be a bit tricky (haha get it?) because you have to turn your back to where you are going before you stick the landing.

Front Side Shifty

For this trick, you can stay at that jump or side hit. A front-side shifty looks easier to do than it is. This one demands you have a good balance and can shift your weight in mid-air.

A front-side shifty is when you jump and twist as if you are going into a 180 but stop halfway through and land facing the same way you started. Sounds easy, right? Well, not necessarily. The most important aspect of this trick is to stay balanced. Shifting your body weight without twisting in the air is difficult. Stay locked in and engage your core to keep yourself from rotating one way or another. You got this!

Video: 5 Steps to Frontside 180's - Snowboarding Trick Tutorial

Indy Grab and Melon Grab

Photo by Damiano Lingauri on Unsplash

Alright! Time for some grabs. If you can do a 180 off a small jump then you can totally do an indy or melon grab. An indy grab is when you grab the board between on feet on your toe side. Conversely, the melon grab is when you grab the board on the heel side.

To perform an indy or melon grab well, you’ll want to get a healthy amount of clearance off the jump. Practice your ollies a few times to make sure you have enough air time to grab your board and land safely. Lastly, lift your knees as high as they can go so you can grab your board without bending over mid-air.

Video: How To Indy, Melon, Mute & Stalefish Grab On A Snowboard (Regular)

Back Board Slide (on box)

After you practice some 50-50s on a box, you’ll be ready to try your first back board slide. This trick is similar to the shifty, except your board is going to be entirely flat on the box the entire time. Like the shifty, you are going to turn your board to slide horizontally on the box before turning it straight again. This trick is relatively easy, but make sure you keep your center of gravity over your board. Falling on a box is like falling on a rock.

When you master the boxes, it’s time to try some rails.

Video: How to Backside Boardslide - Snowboarding Tricks Regular

Some Resources That Will Help You Improve

That’s me!

Snowboard Pro Camp

Kevin Pearce runs Snowboard Pro Camp and he has helped countless beginners perform their first tricks. Outdoor Master and Kevin have partnered up for the winter season. You can catch him sporting our awesome Outdoor Master Falcon ZEISS Goggles. When I was learning how to do my first tricks, Snowboard Pro Camp was a huge help.

Pocket Coach App

Don’t have the budget for a snowboard instructor? That’s okay because the Pocket Coach app teaches you how to do tricks and will keep track of your progress in real-time. You can share your improvements with your friends, too.

Mobility Duo

Mobility Duo might not help you learn tricks, but if you follow their guides and tutorials, your body is going to be fit for any endeavor. Run by husband and wife duo, Mark and Sarah, these accessible guides and training sessions a perfect for injury recovery and prevention. Snowboarding is a physically demanding activity and it's important to protect your muscles, tendons, and joints from unnecessary damage. Want to be a snowboarding machine? Go follow Mobility Duo on Instagram.

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