Frontside Air
also known as: FS Air
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Shown for a regular-footed rider. Teal ring + arrow = the rider's facing direction; teal band = the tail; a dot is where a hand holds the board - bright yellow for the front hand, amber for the back one, which is the whole difference between a mute and an indy. Board and rider rotate independently - each follows its own component. Drag to orbit.
How it works
The foundational transition air: the rider leaves the coping facing the ramp (chest toward the wall), arcs over the lip turning frontside, and re-enters forward - classically with the back hand grabbing the toe rail. Physically the air is a 180-degree redirection of momentum: speed up the wall is converted into a parabola whose shape is set by the carve angle at takeoff, and the grab keeps the unweighted board pinned to the feet through the apex. Every rotation air in this file is this trick with more spin.
Step by step
- Carve slightly across the transition so your line angles frontside as you approach the coping.
- Compress through the top of the wall and let the wheels leave just past the coping - no pop needed at speed.
- Grab the toe rail with your back hand as the board rises and your body starts the frontside turn.
- Float the arc, chest facing down at the ramp, steering the re-entry point with the leading shoulder.
- Release the grab, extend the legs, and plant the wheels on the transition below the coping, absorbing into the ramp.
Body mechanics
| Front foot | Over the front bolts, pressing into the grip so the nose tracks the arc. |
|---|---|
| Back foot | On the tail, setting the takeoff angle and trimming the board's pitch mid-air. |
| Shoulders | Open frontside off the lip and rotate steadily through 180 - they are the air's steering wheel. |
| Arms | Back hand grabs indy; front arm leads the arc out and around like a wing. |
| Gaze | Pick the re-entry spot on the wall before takeoff and keep it in view the entire air. |