# backside/frontside controversy



## init (Mar 8, 2010)

Your friend is wrong


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

On a spin, you are correct. On a regular boardslide, you friend is correct. It works something like this for the rail. 

If you approach the rail, when it's on your "backside", you will hop onto it facing downhill performing a "backside boardslide". 

If you approach the rail, when it's on your "frontside", you will hop onto it facing uphill performing a "frontside boardslide". 

I think this comes from skateboarding where the idea is that you approach the "feature" on one side rather than head on. In one case it's the air. In othter cases it's an object.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

rasmasyean said:


> On a spin, you are correct. On a regular boardslide, you friend is correct. It works something like this for the rail.
> 
> If you approach the rail, when it's on your "backside", you will hop onto it facing downhill performing a "backside boardslide".
> 
> ...


This is partially correct.

For some reason snowboarders decided to reverse FS/BS when it comes to spinning.

In skateboarding a Frontside spin is when your front shoulder rotates inward towards your chest, while a Backside spin is when your shoulder rotates outward towards your back. Basically it refers to whichever way you swing your momentum in the spin.

In snowboarding spins, it refers to whichever way your facing down the mountain during your first 90.

When refering to rails (in either sport) if your toeside is facing the feature, then its frontside. If your heelside is facing the feature, then its backside.


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## SiKBOY (Oct 1, 2010)

so whats it called when you directly approach the feature and board slide?


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## myschims (Jan 11, 2010)

PanHandler said:


> This is partially correct.
> 
> For some reason snowboarders decided to reverse FS/BS when it comes to spinning.
> 
> In skateboarding a Frontside spin is when your front shoulder rotates inward towards your chest, while a Backside spin is when your shoulder rotates outward towards your back. Basically it refers to whichever way you swing your momentum in the spin.


err..what? its the same for snowboarding and skateboarding. if you are riding goofy and do a frontside 180 you will be looking forwards entire time, its the same in snowboarding and skating.


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## Spaded21 (Jan 8, 2011)

SiKBOY said:


> so whats it called when you directly approach the feature and board slide?


My guess would be if you are facing downhill its frontside and if you are facing uphill its backside.

Now when hitting a rail in snowboarding if you approach frontside and rotate your back foot over the rail is it still called a lipslide like in skateboarding?


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## GODSPE3D (Jan 28, 2011)

Kinda glad this got brought up. The backside spin is obv. your back down hill initially on the spin. as far as boardslides go however, when I was riding my hardest, sponsors and whatnot, a backside boardslide was if your back faces downhill and frontside is the easy looking downhill style. I get that skateboarding changed this at some point but even in transworld, etc. all the mags back in 2000 era, anytime your back is facing downhill its a backside boardslide. I will still call it that myself, altho when I coach these tricks ill call it by its skateboard name. I cant stand how you couldnt tell what kind of slide it is unless you see how the guy gets on the rail. can you take a still pic and name it anymore...? no, you can take a still of a "what I call backside boardslide" and it can be front or back depending, makes no sense. 
I could care less what side you approach or if you jump straight on the rail, its backside if you initiate a backside spin, its frontside if you initiate a frontside spin onto the rail. How can you spin backside onto a rail and then its all of a sudden a frontside grind. Whatever, cant stand it but the skateboarder/jibber snowboarder changed terms and I have to submit to them.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

yea.. the goddamn Tony Hawk grommets screwed everything up...

spinning if you are opening your body up its frontside, if youre tucking your shoulder in its backside. on rails it used to be like GODSPE3D says - looking down the rail frontside boardslide, looking back up the rail is backside.... except now the little Tony Hawk kids have changed it to looking down the rail is just a boardslide, and looking back up the rail is now a front boardslide. 

fucking little kids these days...


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## Neodeimos (Jun 22, 2018)

*Simplified*

If you're not spinning it's which side is facing the "wave" which can be many things, rail, quarter pipe, or even slope. If you're spinning it's which side faces in the direction you are traveling first. These 2 rules are a constant over every board sport. The only exception is fakie as there's an implied 180 already completed... not something that transfers to snowboarding.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

And necrothread revival goes to...................and first post..............


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## Neodeimos (Jun 22, 2018)

*My bad >.>*

Lol, I made an account just to post in this thread. It still pulls up in google and has so much stupid in it. One thought that Tony Hawk changed the terminology because he couldn't piece something so simple together. Spin, direction. No spin, object at hand.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

No worries..........welcome to the forum...................


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