Pivot Backside 180

The pivot backside 180 is the backside version of the pivot: you rotate 180° keeping the tail on the snow and swinging the nose around it. At first the backside direction (toward your back) often feels less natural than frontside, but once you get the mechanics it becomes almost more fun.

How to Do It

1. Come in at a steady speed, riding your normal way (not fakie).
2. Load your back foot to lift the nose slightly off the snow.
3. Start rotating your shoulders backside: open up toward the tail side, as if you wanted to look down behind you.
4. The board follows the rotation: the nose traces an arc while the tail stays planted on the snow.
5. Finish the 180° riding fakie, absorb with your knees, and steady yourself.

Common Mistakes

• Looking down: in a backside rotation it’s easy to lose sight of the horizon. Keep your head up and use your peripheral vision to tell where you are in the spin.
• Stopping halfway: a lot of riders stop at 90° because the backside direction feels unnatural. Commit to the full rotation and trust the movement.
• Weight on the nose: just like the frontside pivot, if you don’t load the tail the board won’t turn well. All your weight goes on your back foot.

Progression

With frontside and backside pivots down, you have great control of spins on the ground. The natural next step is to take them into the air: try the Backside 180 on a small kicker or natural jump.