Photo by Chris O’Connell
To master this classic trick, we turned to one of the most talented, well-rounded skiers in the world: Colby Stevenson. He’s earned an Olympic silver medal in big air, three X Games golds (two in slopestyle and one in knuckle huck), and a King of Corbet’s title (for landing a Switch Rodeo 540 Japan Grab into Jackson’s legendary couloir); skied monster Alaskan spines; and starred in ski films by Matchstick Productions and Teton Gravity Research. The Park City, Utah, skier has come a long way from his traumatic brain injury in May 2016, when he was in a coma for three days and doctors didn’t know if he’d walk out of the hospital. He defied the odds, won a World Cup eight months later, and has been on a tear ever since. Colby’s history with the 360 goes all the way back to his summers as a kid, learning tricks off the water ramps at the Olympic Training Center, where he learned to pop, spin, twist, and stomp before he’d mastered his multiplication tables. He remembers throwing his first backflip in a race suit, on race day, when he was six years old.
Here, Colby helps you stick your first 360
When
Once you can ski all the blues, you’re comfortable hitting little jumps, you like to catch air, maybe you can throw a spread eagle, and you can hockey stop, that’s when you should be thinking about learning a 180 and skiing backwards a bit to get used to the landing. That’s the starting point—if you can’t do a 180, don’t try a 360.
Before attempting a 360 on skis, do it on the ground—on carpet or grass—far away from any sharp objects, spinning whichever direction feels natural. Do 50 of them in a row. When you can stomp them no problem, then try spinning the other direction. If you learn to spin both ways early on, you’ll have more options on the snow.
Find the Right Jump
Look for something anywhere from two to ten feet. You don’t need much—just enough to get a couple of feet off the ground. Keep in mind that you probably won’t land it the first time.
Swing
Get forward in your boots and extend your arms in a T. Use your arms to counterswing—if you’re swinging to the left, put your arms to the right. At the top of jump, pop at the same time, twist your arms to the left. Preload by crouching down and putting your arms to left. At the top of the lip, you want to pop and initiate the spin. Come around and spot the landing.
Have confidence in yourself—it’s OK if you fall.
Size Up
Once you learn on a small jump, move to a bigger jump and cork it out. Carve into the jump and dip your shoulder to go off axis—it’s one of the most fun tricks you’ll ever learn. Think about 540s and switch 180s and 360s. Practice unnatural 360s (spinning the opposite way). Practice banking boxes and rails sideways—you’ll have fun all day.