Ollie on a Snowboard

An ollie is the most basic trick in snowboarding, and refers to jumping the board all the way off the ground. Other, more difficult tricks are built upon the ollie, so you'll need to perfect your technique to advance on to harder moves.

Steps

Setting Up Your Jump

  1. Pick a good hill. The hill should be large enough that you can build up a comfortable speed, but not so large that you'll lose control. Start at the top and stake out a clear, straight path to the bottom.[1]
  2. Start your way down. Point your board in the direction that you want to go, then start down at a moderate speed. Get comfortable with your pace and stay relaxed as you make your way down the hill.[2]
  3. Straighten out your board. To prepare for the jump, make sure your back foot is squarely behind your front, and that your board is still pointed down your chosen route. Once your board is straight and you're moving at a comfortable speed, mentally prepare for your jump.
  4. Bend your knees and crouch. Lower your hands and arms as well, making sure to keep your hands parallel to the ground. Make your lowering motion slow and steady, to maintain your balance. [3]

Jumping

  1. Shift your weight to your back leg. When you jump, you'll be doing most of the pushing with your back foot, so the more of your weight that you distribute to your back leg, the more power you'll get. Also, your front foot will be guiding the board, so you'll want to keep weight off of it for lift.
  2. Bend the tail of your board. Since the board is flexible, bend the tail back when shifting your weight to your back foot. This will create extra springlike energy that will be released when you jump off the ground.[4]
  3. Jump upward. Use as much force as possible to "pop" yourself upward with your back foot. Lift your front foot first, and lift your arms up high to force more momentum upward. Once you start to leave the ground, pull your knees hard to your chest to gain more height and extra momentum as well.

Landing

  1. Straighten out your board. Use both feet to level out the snowboard, and make sure that your front foot is still squarely in front of your back foot. If not, adjust in a smooth, careful motion: do this too quickly and you may wipe out. [5]
  2. Shift your weight to the center of the board. While it was helpful to have one foot carry more weight in the beginning of the trick, now you'll want both feet to absorb the shock of the landing equally. If not, you risk falling over while you land.
  3. Land. Let yourself fall to the ground naturally, while staying as relaxed as possible. Let your body absorb the shock by bending your knees and letting gravity pull your body close to the ground. Stiffness or quick movements here may cause you to wipe out, as you may accidentally change your direction or become unbalanced.[6]
  4. Continue down the run. Carefully raise back up to your starting stance and get your bearings back. Correct for any changes in the direction you're moving and continue down the hill.
  5. Be sure not to wipe out. The easiest way to wipe out on an ollie landing is by digging nose of your board into the snow. Correct this by making sure that your board is parallel to the ground as you land, and that you land with the whole length of the board.[7]



Tips

  • Lift your front foot first, and not both feet at the same time. Lifting both feet will give you less air.
  • Keep practicing and build your confidence. The more you ollie, the more the movements will become second nature. This will make more difficult tricks easier in the future.
  • Make sure you have the correct gear and that your board is the right size for you.
  • Use your arms while jumping, and pull your knees to your chest as hard as possible. Both of these movements will help you ollie higher and keep your technique looking cleaner.

Warnings

  • Don't learn to ollie on an icy day! You may become better with icy slopes in the future, but make sure to do your early ollie practice on powder snow. It will make your landings easier and safer.
  • Always wear a helmet and the correct protective gear.
  • Don't try this trick if you're not comfortable with simple slopes and carving.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://snowboardaddiction.com/pages/beginner-snowboard-tips
  2. ↑ http://www.snowboard-coach.com/jumping-a-snowboard.html
  3. ↑ http://whitelines.com/trick-tips/how-to-ollie-with-elias-elhardt.html#LWTEgZytJRlf2iRo.97
  4. ↑ http://snomie.com/category/tips-advice-howto/
  5. ↑ http://www.snowboardinghelp.com/freestyle/ollies.php
  6. ↑ https://whitelines.com/trick-tips/backcountry-basics/tips-landing-powder-whitelines-basics.html#B6i0JMcOmt7cCG78.97
  7. ↑ http://snowprofessor.com/how-snowboard/learn-snowboard-tricks/first-snowboard-jump?
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