• Forums
  • Ski Gabber
  • Are you supposed to hop and get air time on a front/backswap

Member of the Month

abjectwoe
May, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Are you supposed to hop and get air time on a front/backswap

profile picture
DragonSlayer7
Posts: 45 - Karma: 71
Should your feet actually be in the air for a split second when doing a swap on a regular flat or down rail? I’m trying to learn and when I do it, I seem to just keep contact the entire time with the rail. But I’m not doing a surface swap
2 months ago
6 0
profile picture
-skian-
Posts: 666 - Karma: 4,460
For FS/BS, yes, you would hop. A surface swap is when you keep contact with the rail the whole time - sounds like you are surface swapping. Nothing wrong with that. When you pretzel, just do a small little hop and you will feel it naturally if you are already surfacing on tubes.
2 months ago
5 0
profile picture
BallClapper
Posts: 3704 - Karma: 16,816
If you’re touching the rail its surface. This is a “real” swap. I’m learning also.
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1109277/IMG-9855-mov
2 months ago
4 1
profile picture
Christian_Bale
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 25,657
not great at swaps myself but imo depends on the situation. like if it's a tube, you might as well do surface swap. flat down, you don't really need to pop since you'll naturally lose contact of the rail. for trying a backswap on a downrail you definitely want to pop pretty good so you don't catch. basically it's whatever works, don't worry to much about doing it the way you're "supposed to"
2 months ago
3 0
profile picture
skierman
Posts: 8600 - Karma: 9,518
I'm trying to learn how to do a 360. I do a complete rotation of my body while in the air landing forward again but I'm not doing a 360.
2 months ago
8 8
profile picture
DragonSlayer7
Posts: 45 - Karma: 71
Just out of curiosity then, at 57 seconds in this video, is this technically a back surface swap? Even though he called for a back swap?

I’ve been watching slush videos to get examples of how they’re doing their swaps so I can try to copy and practice it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OXXTxMyKhhM&t=57s&pp=2AE5kAIB

**This post was edited on Apr 13th 2025 at 7:33:42pm
2 months ago
1 1
profile picture
-skian-
Posts: 666 - Karma: 4,460
DragonSlayer7Just out of curiosity then, at 57 seconds in this video, is this technically a back surface swap? Even though he called for a back swap?

I’ve been watching slush videos to get examples of how they’re doing their swaps so I can try to copy and practice it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OXXTxMyKhhM&t=57s&pp=2AE5kAIB

**This post was edited on Apr 13th 2025 at 7:33:42pm


Yes that was back surface swap.
2 months ago
2 0
profile picture
skierman
Posts: 8600 - Karma: 9,518
DragonSlayer7Just out of curiosity then, at 57 seconds in this video, is this technically a back surface swap? Even though he called for a back swap?

I’ve been watching slush videos to get examples of how they’re doing their swaps so I can try to copy and practice it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OXXTxMyKhhM&t=57s&pp=2AE5kAIB

**This post was edited on Apr 13th 2025 at 7:33:42pm


No, that was a half pretzel 180
2 months ago
3 1
profile picture
DOPEandLINE
Posts: 4 - Karma: 19
BallClapperIf you’re touching the rail its surface. This is a “real” swap. I’m learning also.
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1109277/IMG-9855-mov


that was a 90 degree hop on tube frontfoot prezel 180 hopswap (frontside) to absolute 90degree (no pretzel) hop offtube. Nothing else
2 months ago
2 4
profile picture
DOPEandLINE
Posts: 4 - Karma: 19
-skian-Yes that was back surface swap.


No that was a 90hop on metaltube to about 1 second railslidehold and then a agressive style backside 180 metaltubeswivel to frontfoot pretzel 270 fasthop off the metaltube
2 months ago
3 0
profile picture
freestyler540
Posts: 13231 - Karma: 20,385
Surface swaps dont even look real. I still remember pulling my first one off in a contest. Should have seen my face!
2 months ago
1 0
profile picture
DragonSlayer7
Posts: 45 - Karma: 71
I did my first front swap yesterday and I actually got in the air but I landed switch off the rail due to the momentum. It’s really hard to land back to regs
2 months ago
2 0
profile picture
quintcork
Posts: 362 - Karma: 2,785
its easier to stop your momentum if you surface the swap.
2 months ago
2 0
profile picture
yungSB
Posts: 292 - Karma: 3,329
DragonSlayer7Should your feet actually be in the air for a split second when doing a swap on a regular flat or down rail? I’m trying to learn and when I do it, I seem to just keep contact the entire time with the rail. But I’m not doing a surface swap


if you hear a noise from your skis hitting the rail after the swap, your doing it right
2 months ago
2 0
All times are Eastern (-4); Currently it's 4:12AM