Trick Tips presented by Vans - The Backside Lipslide

We’re happy to announce that our Trick Tips presented by Vans blog section is back with a first ever Winter edition. To highlight this very special occasion, we will teach you how to master one of the most stylish rail tricks in snowboarding, the Backside Lipslide.

The boot that was used for this trick tip is one of our all time favorite and ultimate snowpark boots, the Vans Hi-Standard PRO. With a simple yet elegant lace up style, the boots have everything to please park and all-terrain riders. Includes elevated V2 UltraCush SmartWool Liners to help you stay warm and dry, dual-density V2 PopCush Footbeds for the highest level of impact cushioning with added arch support, the V2 Harness to create a more personalized fit. Also includes lightweight and flexible V2 WaffleFlex Outsoles that combine Vans weight-reducing UltraCush midsoles with metatarsal flex grooves designed to improve boardfeel and natural flex. CLICK ON THE IMAGES ABOVE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE VANS HI-STANDARD PRO MODEL.

For those who are still new to snowboard tricks and names, a backside lipslide is a rail trick where you have to ride up to the obstacle backside, pop and move your back foot over the rail as you do a half bs 180 and slide down the rail back first. Seems simple, but like any snowboard tricks, you’ll need practice if you want to master the back lip. That and a little help from your friends at Vans and Empire!

Keep scrolling to check our step by step explanations and slow-motion videos, suit up and go practice! If you follow these instructions, we guarantee you’ll end up mastering the trick in no time!

Before jumping on the action, let’s elaborate about the BS Lipslide a bit. Doing a BS Lipslide basically means sliding in a front board position on the rail, but instead of riding up to the rail frontside, you’ll ride up to it backside, so the rail is behind you when you pop. Therefore, your rear foot will need to pass over the rail before landing on it. This factor makes the trick a little harder than a regular frontside boardslide, but trust us, the feeling of landing this one is amazing and well worth the little extra effort.

First off, the ride up. Approach the obstacle so the rail is behind your heel edge and make sure to keep your board as parallel as possible to the rail – much the same as if you were to do a simple frontside Boardslide, but starting from the other side of the rail. As you get closer to the rail, bend your knees to gather pop all while looking at the rail. Never lose sight of the obstacle you’re about to jump on as you prepare for takeoff!

Now comes the trickiest part of the trick, the pop. In order to land a backside lipslide smoothly, you will need your rear foot to travel over and to the other side of the rail first instead of your front foot. To make this happen without hitting the obstacle with your tail, make sure to pop as high as you can so you’re sure that your back foot clears the obstacle.

As soon as you get some air, you’re going to want to start spinning backside, but all while twisting your upper body in a frontside fashion. The key here is to counter rotate your arms and shoulders so that your legs are going for a backside 180 while your upper body is going frontside. This technique should allow you to get that back foot over the rail easily and is the key to keep a stable position on any obstacle. Last but not least, this "twisted" stance will help you to get back into your regular position when you get to the landing part of the trick.  

As with all slides, you need to land with your body weight distributed perfectly so the board is fully perpendicular to the steepness of the rail. You gotta be fully on it! If it’s flat you need to stand straight upright; if the rail is angled down a slope of ten degrees, then you’re going to have to angle yourself ten degrees forwards. You’ll also need to land on the rail between the bindings as much as possible, but with the rail slightly closer to your front foot to keep the balance.

Don’t lean too much forward if you don’t want to cut an edge and don’t lean too much backward if you don’t want to slip and fall on your face.Keep that weight centered and balance on the rail until the end of it. Another good tip for this part of the trick is to keep looking forward while you slide. Basically, don’t do anything as you get on the rail. Stay still. The more you can hold this position, the better it’ll look and the easier it will be. It will help you keep your shoulders in the right position and will allow you to see when it’s time to pop out.

At the end of the rail, if all has gone well, you simply wait for the board to go over the end (or pop off if you prefer), then unwind your upper body back to your normal riding position and your legs will do likewise. Extend your legs to meet the ground, and ride off feeling like a very accomplished snowboarder indeed.

Now you know what to do! Go hit your local snowpark or your backyard jib setup and start practicing!