Dolphin turns are named for what they look like: a dolphin popping in and out of the water. Instead of rolling smoothly from one edge to the next, you ollie through the edge change, so the board leaves the snow at the top of every turn. They're a groomer drill more than a trick, and they're one of the fastest ways to get comfortable moving fore and aft on your board. That skill pays off everywhere - short turns, bumps, trees, and carving in general.
The point of the exercise is rhythm and pressure control. Because you have to load the tail and land on the nose in every single turn, you can't sit back or ride passively - the board tells you immediately when your weight is in the wrong place. That's also why it's such a good carving drill: once you can pop out of a carve and land straight into the next one, holding an edge through a normal turn feels easy. The pop is also what gets you over small bumps and rollers instead of getting bucked by them, which is why bump and tree riders use this to find a rhythm.
Learn more here:
Video by Flowing Freeride Pro Snowboard Lessons
Key tips
- Progress in steps: front-foot-only turns, then back-foot-only turns, then ollies down the fall line, then ollies across it
- It's an ollie, not a jump. Lift the front foot, pop off the tail, land on the nose
- Practise on a mellow, well-groomed pitch where you can hold a steady rhythm
- Great for short turns - the pop replaces the edge-set as the trigger for each new turn