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theabortionator
April, 2025

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

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DragonSlayer7
Posts: 42 - Karma: 96
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
23 days ago
6 0
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-skian-
Posts: 665 - Karma: 4,435
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.
23 days ago
5 0
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BallClapper
Posts: 3704 - Karma: 16,788
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
22 days ago
4 1
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Christian_Bale
Posts: 2214 - Karma: 25,150
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"
22 days ago
3 0
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skierman
Posts: 8582 - Karma: 9,087
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.
22 days ago
8 8
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DragonSlayer7
Posts: 42 - Karma: 96
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
22 days ago
1 1
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-skian-
Posts: 665 - Karma: 4,435
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.
22 days ago
2 0
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skierman
Posts: 8582 - Karma: 9,087
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
22 days ago
3 1
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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
21 days ago
2 4
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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
21 days ago
3 0
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freestyler540
Posts: 13209 - Karma: 20,094
Surface swaps dont even look real. I still remember pulling my first one off in a contest. Should have seen my face!
21 days ago
1 0
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DragonSlayer7
Posts: 42 - Karma: 96
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
21 days ago
2 0
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quintcork
Posts: 360 - Karma: 2,780
its easier to stop your momentum if you surface the swap.
21 days ago
2 0
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yungSB
Posts: 263 - Karma: 3,078
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
21 days ago
2 0
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