Your First Snowboard Trick — The Ollie Explained

The ollie is the gateway trick. Once you can ollie, you can hop over things, get onto small boxes, and start playing on the mountain instead of just riding down it. It's the first move that makes you feel like a real snowboarder.

What an Ollie Is

An ollie is a jump where you load the tail of the board, then spring forward off the nose, lifting the whole board off the snow without using a ramp. Done well it gets you 30–60 cm of air on flat ground.

The Four-Step Ollie

1. Bend the knees deeply while riding flat-based across a smooth section of slope.
2. Shift weight onto the back foot. The nose lifts slightly.
3. Load the tail by pressing down hard with the back leg. The tail flexes like a spring.
4. Spring forward and up — the loaded tail pops you into the air. Pull the knees up to your chest as you go up.

Common Failures

• Jumping with both feet equally. Doesn't work. You need the asymmetric tail load.
• Looking down. Throws your weight forward and kills the pop.
• Not bending knees enough. Stiff legs = no spring.

Where to Practice

Flat groomed snow at low speed. Ollie over a glove dropped in the snow. Repeat 50 times. Once you can clear a glove, you can clear a small box.