Frontside Shifty

What you'll learn

A Frontside Shifty is a freestyle snowboard trick where the board shifts sideways in the air and then returns to a straight position before landing.

The idea

The key mechanic is counter-rotation: your upper body stays relatively stable and facing downhill, while your lower body and board twist independently beneath you. This separation creates the “shifty” motion.

Source: Snowboard Addiction

Steps

Step 1: Learn the Movement on Snow (Flat Ground Drill)

Start on a gentle slope with a flat base.

While riding straight:

1. keep your shoulders facing downhill
2. quickly rotate your board and hips about 90 degrees sideways
3. then immediately bring the board back to straight

Think of it as a quick directional shift and return, not a carve or a stop.

Source: Snowboard Addiction

Step 2: Take It to a Small Jump

Choose a small, familiar jump in the park.

1. Approach
   • Ride in flat-based and relaxed
   • Keep your shoulders square to the landing
2. Takeoff
   • Pop cleanly off the lip
   • Stay patient - do not start the movement before leaving the ground
3. The Shifty
   • Once airborne, rotate your lower body to shift the board sideways beneath you
   • Keep your upper body controlled and slightly facing downhill
   • The movement should feel like your board is sliding under your center of mass
4. Bring It Back for Landing
   • untwist your hips and legs
   • return the board to a straight position
   • align with the landing slope
5. Land Clean
   • absorb the impact with bent knees
   • stay centered over the board
   • ride away smoothly on a flat base

Video by Snowboard Addiction

Key Tips

• Start with small movements - style comes from control, not size
• Do not initiate the shifty before takeoff
• Keep your upper body calm and stable
• Focus on timing: twist → hold briefly → release
• Film yourself to check body separation and timing

Common mistakes

• Starting the rotation on the snow instead of in the air
• Turning the whole body instead of isolating lower body movement
• Over-rotating past 90 degrees
• Forgetting to return the board to straight before landing