What is an alley oop in snowboarding? That’s right, it’s not just a basketball move! Many consider this a staple snowboarding trick, and it can form the basis of more complex, custom tricks. However, you’ll want to know what exactly an ally-oop is first.
An alley-oop in snowboarding is when you travel up a halfpipe wall, then perform a spin against the direction of travel. For example a backside alley oop means riding up the frontside (toeside) wall and performing a backside 180-degree spin before landing.
The main thing is that the spin is essentially in the “wrong” direction. So a frontside alley-oop means riding towards the halfpipe wall on your heelside and then throwing a frontside spin (looking back up the hill over your shoulder).
Here’s a reminder on backside versus frontside if you need it.
This article will discuss the alley-oop in more detail, so you can perform it yourself!
Image courtesy of Whitelines.
How To Alley-Oop In Snowboarding
Successfully hitting an alley-oop on a halfpipe is an incredible feeling. It’s the perfect follow-up to a backside air.
Here’s what you need to do to hit an alley-oop:
- Start by sliding into the pipe, heading towards the front side wall. You need to build enough speed to make it off the end of the wall.
- Stay on your toe edge and turn your upper body down the pipe (like you would for a backside air). This motion puts your upper body facing up the slope.
- As you start the jump, turn your head to look at the halfpipe. Your body will naturally follow your line of sight.
- Turn 180 degrees in the air, preferably while grabbing indy.
- Let go of the board and land on the wall.
- Ride the toe edge down the wall for a smoother landing.
Where To Learn To Alley-Oop
Basically, you need a quarter pipe or halfpipe.
If your local hill doesn’t have one, you could even consider building a halfpipe.
Alternatively, head to my recommended snowboard resorts – they should all have one!
Video Example Of How To Frontside Alley-Oop
Of course, I wasn’t going to explain this one without a video example.
Here’s an old but still accurate example of how to frontside alley-oop on a snowboard.
Conclusion
In short, an alley-oop is a trick snowboarders can perform on a halfpipe.
For a backside alley-oop, you’ll first need to know how to do a backside air – then, you can add a spin to it to successfully alley-oop.
Get out there and land those alley-oops!
Then check out our other snowboard guides to keep stacking your skills.
