Tail Butter

The tail butter is the nose butter’s twin: you use the tail as the pivot, lift the nose, and spin the board around. The mechanics are the same as the nose butter, just reversed, but it feels different. Combining the two is the secret to smooth, creative butter sequences.

How to Do It

1. Come in with enough speed on flat ground or a gentle slope.
2. Shift your weight firmly onto your back foot, lifting the nose until you’re in a tail press.
3. Use your shoulders to start the rotation in whichever direction you like (frontside or backside). The tail stays glued to the snow as the fixed point.
4. Lead the rotation with your upper body and head: where your head looks, your body goes. The nose traces an arc around the tail.
5. Finish the 180° or 360° and ride away with the board flat, absorbing with your knees.

Common Mistakes

• Tail lifting mid-rotation: the pressure on the tail has to stay constant all the way round. Don’t ease off halfway.
• Upper body too upright: lean your upper body slightly forward to counterbalance the weight on the tail. Stand too tall and you’ll fall backward.
• Not thinking about the exit: before you even start the rotation, know where you want to end up. With butters, spatial awareness is everything.

Progression

When you can land your 180° tail butter every time, start linking it with the nose butter in smooth sequences: a nose butter into a tail butter is a combo that always gets attention. Then aim for the Butter 360 to do a full spin on both pivots.