Tail Press

The tail press is the nose press’s twin: this time you put all your weight on your back foot, lift the nose, and slide balanced on the tail. For regular riders it’s a bit like hanging off the back of the board: strange at first, but rewarding as soon as you get the hang of it.

How to Do It

1. Pick a flat spot or a gentle downhill slope and build up moderate speed.
2. Start shifting your weight onto your back foot, bending your back knee.
3. Keep shifting until the nose lifts off the snow: now the tail is your point of contact with the snow.
4. Balance with your arms out and your upper body leaning slightly forward to offset the weight on the tail.
5. Hold your balance for a few seconds, then shift your weight forward to get back to neutral.

Common Mistakes

• Upper body too far back: if your upper body goes back too, you lose your balance fast. Keep your upper body fairly centered; your legs do the work.
• Locked back knee: bend your back knee well. It gives you stability and lets you make small adjustments to your balance.
• Rushing out: lots of riders let go of the press too early. Give the position time to settle before you come out of it.

Progression

With a solid tail press you can move on to the Tail Butter, a rotation that starts from the tail press and finishes with a really fun spin. Also try coming out of the press with an Ollie for extra style.