STEPHEN WALKER OF BOSTON RIPPING MONTANA POWDER

PHOTOS: ALEX HAZELTON

Aside from the various ski areas in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont there are several areas close to boston that offer great oppurtunities to learn to snowboard or practice advanced techniques, when there is snow.

These spots are free of charge and people often set up kickers and rails so that you can practice tricks in between trips to the mountain.  I frequested these spots last winter as there was an abundance of natural snowfall

The following information has been obtained through internet research and should provide you with some understanding of snowboarding, especially if you are just starting out

Snowboarding's history shows many influences, such as surfing, skateboarding, snurfing, and skiing. It's roots may even be traced back to the early 1920's. Then children built what would now be considered makeshift snowboards out of barrel staves and rode them sideways down a snowy hill. That was the beginning

Vermont played a large part in the early days of snowboarding. It was the state in which the snurfer (snow-surfer) became the snowboard with the help of Jake Burton Carpenter and his garage workshop in Manchester, Vt. Jake had a vision: to bring snowboarding to the world. He began shaping snowboards in the mid 70's out of wood, and fixing rubber straps on them for bindings. This vision apparently succeeded, for he is now the owner of Burton Snowboards , a forerunner in the snowboard industry. He has deeply influenced what snowboarding has become today

Vermont was home to the first established snowboard competitions in the late 70's and early 80's: the National Races at Suicide Six in Pomfret, vt. Interest in this new sport later spawned The U.S. Open first held at Magic Mountain, the first renowned snowboard competition. The U.S. Open is now possibly the most well known snowboard event in the world, and is now held at Stratton Mountain Resort

Vermont was also the first state in the nation to host a what is now known as a Snowboard Park. In the early 1980's the tiny Sonnenburg Ski Hill, in Barnard Vermont opened it's arms to snowboarders, letting them have free reign of a trail to build jumps and supplied them with a steady supply of hay bails and a few picnic tables to jump. This was in an era when few ski areas accepted snowboarders, and was definitely a ground breaking move. Now Snowboard Parks are commonplace at most resorts worldwide resorts

Any trick in the halfpipe where the wall is approached riding forwards, no rotation is made, and the snowboarder lands riding backwards.

Alley-oop:

A term used to describe any maneuver in the halfpipe where one rotates 180 or more degrees in and uphill direction; that is, rotating backside on the front side wall or rotating front side on the backside wall.

Andrecht:

A rear handed backside handplant with a front handed grab.

Backside Air (B/S):

Any air performed on the backside wall of the halfpipe.

Burger Flip:

A halfpipe trick in which the rider performs a switch 180 to late McTwist. One approaches the backside wall riding fakie, rotates 180 degrees in the air, and then reenters the pipe while doing a McTwist. Invented by Todd Richards.

Caballerial (Cab):

A halfpipe trick, which begins fakie, spins 360, and lands riding forward. Named after skateboarding guru, Steve Caballero.

Canadian Bacon Air:

The rear hand reaches behind the rear leg to grab the toe edge between the bindings while the rear leg is boned.

Chicken Sala Air:

The rear hand reaches between the legs and grabs the heel edge between the bindings while the front leg is boned. Also, the wrist is rotated inward to complete the grab.

Corkscrew:

A term used to describe a very fast and tightly performed rotation, either free riding or in the halfpipe. A term used to describe any rotation, which is off-axis.

Crail Air:

The rear hand grabs the toe edge in the front of the front foot while the rear leg is boned.

Crippler:

 
An inverted aerial where the snowboarder performs a 180 degree back flip. In other words, the athlete approaches a halfpipe wall riding forward, becomes airborne, rotates 90 degrees, flips over backwards in the air, rotates another 90 degrees and lands riding forward.

Eggflip:

An Eggplant is where the athlete chooses to flip over in order to re-enter the pipe instead of rotating 180 degrees. Thus, his trick is performed to fakie or switchstance (fakie to forward).

Eggplant:

A one handed 180-degree backside rotated invert, in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the halfpipe wall.

50/50:

To Slide with the board parallel to the coping.

540 Air (a.k.a. five):

The snowboarder rotates 540 degrees in the air and lands riding fakie. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 540 degrees and lands riding forward.

Flying Squirrel Air:

 
Bending at the knees and grabbing the heel edge of the snowboard with both hands, with the front hand near the front foot and the rear hand near the rear foot.

Frontside Air:

A true Frontside air is performed on the toeside wall of a halfpipe with a grab to the toeside edge between the feet. A frontside air can be any air performed on the toeside wall of the halfpipe.

Grind:

The act of sliding over an object, (i.e.: A Rail; A Mailbox, etc.)I. E. rail, mailbox, etc

Iguana Air:

The rear hand grabs the toe edge near the tail. Made famous by Damian Sanders.

Palmer Air:

A kind of method where the grab is near the nose, the board is pulled across the front of the body and the nose is pointed downward. Named after Shaun Palmer.

Revert:

To switch from riding fakie to forward or from forward to fakie, usually while the snowboard is still touching the ground.

Rewind:

A term used to describe any maneuver where a rotation is initiated, stopped, and its' momentum reversed.

Roast Beef Air:

The rear hand reaches between the legs and grabs the heel edge between the bindings while the rear leg is boned.

Rocket Air:

The front hand grabs the toe edge in frond of the front foot and the back leg is boned while the board points perpendicular to the ground.

Rodeo Flip:

An inverted F/S 540. Off of a straight jump, it feels like doing a back flip and landing riding fakie. In the halfpipe, it is more like performing a 540-degree rotation, which is inverted and off-axis.

720 Air (a.k.a. 7):

The snowboarder rotates 720 degrees in the air and lands riding forward. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 720 degrees, and lands riding fakie. Of course, it may also be performed switchstance by riding fakie and landing riding forward.

Shifty Air:

A grabless trick, where the upper torso and lower body are twisted in opposite directions and then returned to normal. Usually the front leg is boned.

Smith Grind:

A grind trick where on slides with the coping perpendicular to the snowboard, the front leg is boned and the nose is oriented below the coping, while the tail is above.

Spaghetti Air:

The rear hand reaches between the legs and behind the front leg to grab the toe edge in front of the front foot while the back leg is boned.

Stiffy Air:

The rear hand reaches between the legs and behind the front leg to grab the toe edge in front of the front foot wile the back leg is boned.

Suitcase Air:

Any maneuver in which both legs are boned and a grab is incorporated, i.e. Mute Stiffy.

Swiss Cheese Air:

The rear hand reaches between the legs behind the front leg and grabs the heel edge in front of the front foot while the back leg is boned.

Tail Grab:

The rear hand grabs the tail of the snowboard.

Tail Poke:

Any maneuver where you bone your rear leg and poke the tail of the snowboard in a direction away from your body usually while grabbing.

Tail Slide:

To slide along the ground or any object solely on the tail of the snowboard.

Tail Wheelie:

To ride solely on the tail of the snowboard with the nose in the air.

360 Air (a.k.a. 3):

The snowboarder rotates 360 degrees in the air and lands riding forward. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 360 degrees, and lands riding fakie. This trick may also be performed riding fakie and landing riding forwards; in which case it is called a caballerial.

Indy Air:

A true Indy Air is performed backside with the rear hand grabbing between the bindings on the toe edge while the front leg is boned.

Invert:

A trick where the head is beneath the level of the board and the snowboarder balances on one or two hands.

Inverted 720 (720 McTwist):

An inverted aerial where the athlete performs a 720-degree rotational flip. In other words the snowboarder approaches the wall riding forward, becomes airborne, rotates b/s 720 while performing a front flip and lands riding fakie.

McTwist:

An inverted aerial where the athlete performs a 540 degree rotational flip. In other words, the athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding forward, becomes airborne, rotates a b/s 540 while performing a front flip, and lands riding forward. Named after skate boarder Mike McGill.

Melonchollie Air:

 
The front hand reaches behind the front leg and grabs the heel edge in between the bindings while the front leg is boned.

Method Air:

The front hand grabs the heel edge, both knees are bent, and the board is pulled to level of the head.

Miller Flip:

An invert where the halfpipe wall is approached riding forward, the front hand is planted, spins an f/s 360 and the rider lands riding fakie.

Misty Flip:

An inverted b/s 540 performed off a straight jump. It is the straight jump version of the McTwist. Therefore the approach is riding forward and landing is fakie.

Mosquito Air:

A halfpipe trick in which the front hand reaches behind the front leg and grabs the heel edge between the bindings. The front knee is then bent to touch the board tuck knee style.

Mute Air:

The front hand grabs the toe edge either between the toes or in front of the front foot.

900 (aka 9):

The snowboarder rotates 900 degrees in the air and lands riding fakie. In the halfpipe, the rider approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 900 degrees, and lands riding forward.

Nollie:

Much like and Ollie only you spring off of your nose instead of your tail.

Nose Bonk:

To hit an object with the nose of the snowboard.

Nose Grab:

The front hand grabs the nose of the snowboard.

Nose Poke:

Any maneuver where you bone your front leg and poke the nose of the snowboard in a direction away from your body usually while grabbing.

Nose Slide:

To slide along the ground or and object solely on the nose of the snowboard.

Ollie:

A method to obtain air without a jump by first lifting the front foot then lifting the rear foot as you spring off of the tail. First invented in skateboarding by Alan Gelfand.

180 Air:

The snowboarder rotates 180 degrees in the air and lands riding fakie. In the halfpipe the rid4er approaches the wall riding forward, rotates 180 degrees, and lands riding forward.