5 of the Most Kickass Snowboarding Tricks of 2017

Photo credit: Matt Biddulph

For every great trick in sports, there are certainly many more wipeouts. But while the latter can be fascinating in their brutality, we’re not here to talk about fails today, so forget yard sales and the like. Instead, today’s a celebration of greatness—of when preparation meets execution. We’re talking five of the most kickass snowboarding tricks of the past year!

Note that the following are not necessarily competition tricks but they are some of the gnarliest 2017 had to offer. Without further ado…

1. Max Parrot’s Quad Underflip

January’s Winter X Games brought sheer awesomeness courtesy of Max Parrot, who nabbed Snowboard Big Air gold with a scintillating quad underflip. It’s a move you certainly won’t see every day and one that gets bonus points for being competition-based.

2. Yuki Kadono, Backside Quad 1980°

So many spins!

Yuki Kadono outdid everyone last year as far as rotations go—and, actually, everyone ever—with his Backside Quad 1980°, the largest rotation ever nailed while on a snowboard. Go to the 1:29 mark of the video for the trick!

3. Frank Bourgeois, Backside Rodeo Gap-to-rail

Flipping over a bridge, directly onto a rail, and stopping your momentum just short of smacking into the broad side of a building? Yeah, as tough as that sounds spelled out, we’re gonna wager a large bet that it’s much more difficult in practice. That’s why we’re so enamored by what Frank Bourgeois pulled off during the 2017 X Games Real Snow video contest at the 1:22 mark of this video.

4. Marcus Kleveland’s Quad Cork

Going off-axis four separate times—damn. Thanks for this one, Marcus. Sick.

5. Halldór Helgason, FS180 Gap-to-switch Misty Flip

This one isn’t about big air; it’s more about “Wait, what did I just see there?” (5:38 mark of the video). It’s the kind of trick that stirs the imagination—so much so, in fact, that Helgason nabbed a “Standout” award as a result.

Note: There’s also a strangely satisfying wipeout at the 3:00 mark.