Last time we covered some important, but somewhat tedious lessons about safety on the hill, so now it’s time to cut loose and learn about some tricks of the trade.

The most important skill you will want to master after learning how to turn is the Ollie. Ollying was first developed in the 1960’s skateboarding craze, by a guy named Tony Alva, who owns Alva Skateboards at http://www.alvaskates.com/. He skated with the infamous “Dog Town” crew and one day while skating a pool, he simultaneously kicked down on his tail while nudging the board up with the outside of his foot. The result was that the board was thrust slightly into the air, briefly stayed horizontal, then re-entered the pool. Everyone has seen this trick and unless this is mastered, you are going to get stuck and stay at the same performance level. Ollying on a snowboard, is in my experience, much easier than ollying on a skateboard, although the same concept applies.

To execute a good olly, you will need an obstacle that you can try to jump over, such as another snowboard that is set at an angle so it won’t shoot downhill and become a projectory if you accidently hit it with your board. Another good obstacle is a bunch of empty soda cans (pack them out) or barring that, a piece of wood or a branch from a tree. Set up your obstacle and you are ready to rock.

Begin by facing the object at an angle, maybe 20 feet away from it to start. Be sure to bend your knees as you approach. Now, as you build up speed, set your eyes on the obstacle and drop into a surfers’ stance. As soon as you are about 4-6 inches from the obstacle, put your weight on your back foot, and simultaneously pull up with your lead foot; be sure you have a lot of power in that upward pull-you are not only pulling the nose of the board up, but must be sure that you will project far enough to not tap it with your tail either. As soon as you are mid air, things should slow down visually speaking. Eye your landing, keeping your knees bent and allow the nose of the board to hit the ground first, then your tail. Now coast a few feet and take a look at your work-did the board or cans move at all? Have your buddies critique your tricks and listen to their feedback. This can be a fun way to kill a couple of hours on the hill. You can mix it up and play horse or pig, you can make more elaborate obstacles (cans on top of board, for example), try riding fakie (backwards) or whatever. Just have fun learning how to olly and don’t worry if it takes time to learn-just keep putting your all into it and eventually you will get there.

Other important tricks that you will need to learn are butters and nosepicks; we will cover those in lesson seven. They are actually easier to execute than ollies, but take a lot of localized muscle power to be effective. Remember that muscle strength, this time in your abdominals, quadriceps and, well, your ass, will help you to be a better rider. Plus the opposite sex (or same, depending) is usually more attracted to a fit rider versus one who is out of shape.

See you next time.