It’s showtime. Snowboarders like Shaun White and Jamie Anderson are pulling out their signature tricks to stomp their runs at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Athletes competing in snowboard slopestyle, big air and halfpipe are scored in five categories: amplitude, difficulty, variety, execution and progression. These are key when it comes to riders who share tricks with competitors. Riders can earn points by performing a variety of different board grabs, riding in different stances and landing cleanly. The difference between gold and silver could be decided on something as small as a more technical grab or riding in a switch stance.
All jump tricks where athletes spin are measured in multiples of 180 degrees. Corks are off-axis rotations that athletes may combine with a spin.
Check out the trademark tricks from top snowboarders.
Slopestyle/Big Air
Jamie Anderson: Double cork 1080
Anderson’s trick is a double cork 1080, which is a key trick needed to win a medal in a women's event. The 1080 is a sharp progression from four years ago. Anderson’s backside 540, cab underflip and frontside 720 won her the Olympic gold medal in snowboard slopestyle.
Red Gerard: Triple cork 1620
Gerard is a pro at the triple cork 1620 and is working to master the 1800. Like Anderson, Gerard’s winning run at the 2018 Winter Olympics shows the quick progression of the sport. Gerard’s biggest trick in PyeongChang was a triple cork 1440.
SEE MORE: Mammoth GP: Gerard nails pair of 1620s for slopestyle win
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott: Double cork 1080
New Zealander Sadowski-Synnott is the first female snowboarder to land back-to-back double cork 1080s in competition.
View social media post: https://twitter.com/XGames/status/1484601309118357504
Mark McMorris: Backside triple cork 1440, triple cork 1620
The backside triple cork 1440 is synonymous with Canadian McMorris, who was the first to land the trick in 2011. The trick has since become standard in competitions and McMorris has learned to perform a triple cork 1620 to progress.
View social media post: https://www.facebook.com/XGames/videos/mark-mcmorriss-first-ever-triple-cork/209517487000942/
Rene Rinnekangas: 1620
The Finnish snowboarder known for his creative tricks can stomp a 1620 with no qualms. Watch for style and variety in his Olympic debut.
Marcus Kleveland: Quad cork 1800
Hailing from Norway, Kleveland landed the first quad cork 1800 in a competition at the X Games Aspen 2017. The 1800 is a show stopping trick expected in the big air discipline.
View social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BPzBJ-OjR1_/?hl=en
Anna Gasser: Cab triple underflip 1260
The Austrian snowboarder is the first woman to land this trick, which comprises three and a half rotations while flipping backwards. Gasser is also no stranger to double cork 1080s. She landed two back-to-back to take home the big air gold medal in PyeongChang.
Max Parrot: Triple cork 1800
The 1800 is what earned the Canadian the gold medal in big air at X Games Aspen 2020 over McMorris who landed comparable 1620s, but no 1800s.
View social media post: https://www.facebook.com/XGames/videos/max-parrot-wins-silver-in-mens-snowboard-big-air-at-x-games-aspen-2022/623613242083409/
Halfpipe
Shaun White: Double cork 1440, double McTwist 1260
The famed double McTwist 1260 is White’s signature trick after he landed it in his victory lap after winning the halfpipe gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. More recently, the double cork 1440 set him apart when he landed the trick twice back-to-back for the first time during his 2018 gold medal run.
SEE MORE: Vancouver 2010: Shaun White defends snowboard halfpipe gold
Chloe Kim: 1080
Kim was the youngest gold medalist to land back-to-back 1080s in the women’s halfpipe event at the Olympics. The same trick that earned the gold medal for White in 2010 helped Kim clinch her gold medal in 2018.
Ayumu Hirano: Triple cork 1440
Following his narrow loss to White in PyeongChang where both athletes performed back-to-back double cork 1440s, the Japanese snowboarder became the first to land a triple cork 1440.
SEE MORE: Dew Tour Copper: Ayumu Hirano lands historic triple cork
Scotty James: Double cork 1440, switch backside 1260
The Australian rider has double cork 1440s on lock, but it’s his switch backside double cork 1260 that set him apart from Hirano and won him a gold medal at X Games Aspen 2022.
Taylor Gold: Double Michalchuk 1080
The returning Olympian threw down the first double Michalchuk 1080 in a snowboard halfpipe competition in 2020.
See what tricks Anderson brings during the women's snowboard slopestyle final. Watch it at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App.
SEE MORE: Snowboarding 101: Glossary
