How to 720 tail grab on skis

Crack this crowd-pleaser with help from pro-in-the-know Andy Bennett

I really like doing this, especially off larger jumps, because I find it’s a bit of a crowd-pleaser, looking quite impressive but at the same time being relatively easy. I find the tail grab is a simple and straightforward one to reach for in this trick and a good choice to help to control the rotation.

The cork 720 is a major stepping stone heading towards double flips (or “dubs” if you use the freestyle lingo). Going corked on a rotation isn’t very difficult and many people do it by accident. The key to this trick lies with being able to “un-cork” it and land on your feet rather than your backside!

POP & SET

As you pop at the end of the transition you’re going to need a little bit more of a set than for the 360, for example. However, try not to rush it too much. The idea is to be rotating evenly for the whole air rather than having to speed it up or slow it down just before landing.

LEAD WITH your HEAD

Once you have popped and set the rotation, remember to lead with your head and let the rest of your body follow on afterwards as one unit.

GRAB IT

Once airborne you can go for the tail grab. In this case I have grabbed the inside edge of the outside ski. I like this one because you can push it out to make more of a shape. However it’s also really cool to grab the ski right at the end of the tail.

Nail it! | Jordan Revah

BALANCE

Use your hand that’s not grabbing for balance, trying not to let it come across your body too much or go too high, as it can block your rotation and make it look

SPOT IT

In this one you can see mid-way through the rotation that I have a little spot of the landing at around 540. This is personal preference and I find it helps me hold the grab for a bit longer and also control the rotation. If you find you keep over-rotating or sketching out on landing this sometimes helps.

ABSORB THE LANDING

Remember to throw those arms forwards when spotting the landing and then take the shock evenly through your ankle, knee and hip.