Ollie
aka Snow Ollie
The snowboard pop that unlocks the whole park. Load the tail, spring up, suck your knees, and level the board out flat in the air.
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
Set your stance
Ride a flat cat-track at a mellow, controlled speed with your weight centered over the board. Keep your knees soft and your shoulders stacked over your hips. Both edges flat to the snow so you stay balanced and ready to load.
- 02 Load the Tail
Shift weight back
Press your weight back over your rear binding and bend deep into your back knee to load the tail like a spring. The tail should flex into the snow and store energy. Keep your eyes up the fall line, not down at the board.
- 03 Pop & Air
Spring and suck up
Spring up off the loaded tail and explode upward through your legs. As you leave the snow, suck both knees toward your chest and level the board out flat beneath you. The harder you pop off the tail, the more air you get.
- 04 Landing
Stomp it flat
Spot your landing early and keep your shoulders square down the fall line. Reach your feet back toward the snow and land base-flat over both bindings. Absorb the impact with bent knees and ride away centered.
When It Goes Wrong
The most common ways Ollie bails — and the fix. Diagnose your slam, then get back on.
My snowboard ollie barely gets off the snow, why?
You are not loading the tail enough before you pop. Shift more weight onto your back foot and bend deep into the rear knee to flex the tail, then spring up off that stored energy. A crisp pop off a loaded tail gives way more pop than a flat hop.
The nose drops and I catch my front edge on landing.
You are popping but not leveling the board out in the air. After you spring up, lift your front knee and pull the nose up so the board comes flat beneath you. Land base-flat over both bindings with even weight, not nose-heavy.
I keep catching my heel edge when I ollie on flat ground.
Your weight is drifting back toward your heels instead of staying centered. Keep your shoulders stacked directly over the board and your weight balanced between toe and heel edge. Ride base-flat through the whole pop so neither edge digs in.
Should I learn the ollie moving or stationary first?
Lock the motion stationary or strapped in on a gentle slope first so you can feel the tail load and spring. Once the pop feels natural, take it to a flat cat-track at slow speed. A little glide actually makes the ollie smoother and more stable than standing still.
The ollie is the foundation for every snowboard park trick — not because it looks gnarly, but because everything else is an ollie with something added. Spins start with an ollie off the tail. Jibs onto a box start with an ollie. Pop off a kicker is just a bigger, better-timed version of this exact motion.
Spend real time loading and springing the tail until you can pop on command at speed. A clean, level snow ollie you can stomp base-flat is the root the entire snowboard trick tree grows out of.
Dial In Your Setup
Gear that makes this trick easier to learn. Tune the setup, not just the technique.
True-twin park board
Soft to medium flex · true twin
A softer twin flex lets you load and pop the tail without fighting a stiff board. True-twin shape means the tail pops the same whether you ride regular or switch, which matters once you start spinning.
Shop boards & gearDuck stance setup
Roughly +15 / -15 angles
A symmetrical duck stance keeps you balanced over the board and ready to pop or ride switch. Even angles also make it easier to suck your knees up evenly when you leave the snow.
Shop boards & gearMedium-flex bindings
Responsive but forgiving highbacks
Mid-flex bindings transfer your spring into the tail without feeling dead. Too stiff and beginners lose the feel of loading the tail; too soft and the pop washes out.
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Stack Your Clip
Landed Ollie? Soon you'll drop your line here and battle the crew for the top of the board.