Backside 180
aka BS 180
A half rotation spinning backside, slightly blind through the middle, landing you riding away switch. Pop, commit the hips, and find the snow late.
The Breakdown
Four phases from roll-up to roll-away. Scrub the analyzer above — each phase lights up as the board hits it.
- 01 Approach
Coil the other way
Ride centered and relaxed, then pre-wind your shoulders backside, opposite to the frontside version. Keep your knees flexed and hands forward. Trust that you will pick up the landing late, because this rotation goes slightly blind.
- 02 Pop
Drive the hips around
Pop off the tails and unwind backside, leading with your hips and trailing shoulder. Because you can't see the landing right away, commit fully to the rotation instead of hesitating. Keep the skis level under you as you turn.
- 03 Air
Find the snow blind
Hold a compact, balanced position through the blind portion of the spin. Whip your head around at the end to spot the landing as it appears behind you. Resist the urge to stall, and let the rotation carry through.
- 04 Landing
Set down switch
Land base-flat on both skis facing the opposite direction. Bend the knees to absorb, keep your hands in front, and settle onto your switch edges. Hold it steady and ride away clean.
When It Goes Wrong
The most common ways Backside 180 bails — and the fix. Diagnose your slam, then get back on.
Why does the backside 180 feel scarier than the frontside?
Because the rotation goes blind through the middle, so you can't see the landing until late. Commit to the spin and trust your timing instead of fighting it. Snapping your head around at the end to find the snow makes the blind feeling go away.
I under-rotate and land sideways on backside 180s.
You're hesitating because you lose sight of the landing. Pre-wind enough, pop, and fully commit the hips around in one motion. Turning your head hard at the end pulls the last bit of rotation through to a square landing.
I keep washing out the landing onto my edge.
Your skis aren't flat when you touch down. Aim to land base-flat with weight centered, then roll onto your new switch edges. Detuned tips and tails help if you're catching slightly off-flat.
How do I get comfortable spinning blind?
Start with small backside 180s at low speed on a mellow flat so the consequences are tiny. Reps build the muscle memory for finding the snow late. Once your body knows the timing, the blind moment stops feeling sketchy.
The backside 180 is the frontside’s blind twin. The rotation spins the other way and takes you through a moment where you can’t see the landing, which is exactly why it tends to come second and feels a notch scarier even at the same difficulty.
The fix is commitment. Pre-wind, pop, drive the hips around, and snap your head to find the snow late. Once you trust that the landing always shows up, the blind spin stops being intimidating and the trick rides away as smooth as any.
Dial In Your Setup
Gear that makes this trick easier to learn. Tune the setup, not just the technique.
Twin-tip park skis
True center mount · medium flex
A centered twin-tip spins evenly in either direction and lands switch naturally. The symmetric tail makes riding away backward feel just like riding forward.
Shop skis & gearPark boot flex
90–110 flex
A medium flex keeps your ankles mobile to commit the rotation and cushion the switch landing. Softer boots help you settle onto new edges after a blind spin.
Shop skis & gearDetuned tips and tails
Edges dulled at contact points
Dulling the contact points stops you catching when you land slightly off-flat out of a blind rotation. Cheap insurance that saves a lot of slams while learning.
Shop skis & gearAffiliate links may earn nollie.zone a commission — never changes your price.
Stack Your Clip
Landed Backside 180? Soon you'll drop your line here and battle the crew for the top of the board.