The ninja vanish is a hard toe-side slash that throws up so much snow you disappear inside it, then you unwind and ride straight out of the cloud. Malcolm Moore calls it a cloudburst. Same trick. You'll want a firm groomer with a bit of light, blown snow on top.
Before you try it
Be comfortable riding straight with some speed, on a flat base or on edge. Hard hockey stops on your toe edge should feel easy.
How to do it
Ride straight with your shoulders in line with the board. Then explode: twist your lower body into a toe-side slash while your upper body twists the opposite way. Seen from above you go from a minus sign to a plus sign. That counter-twist stores tension in your body. Pull back against it to unwind, shoulders back in line with the board, and you point straight down the hill out of the cloud.
Learn it slowly first. Ride straight, twist and tilt onto your toe edge, untwist and ride straight. Then add speed.
Three things make the cloud bigger:
- Speed. More speed, more snow in the air.
- How fast you twist. A snappy twist pushes harder against the snow, and a snappy unwind gets you out of the cloud sooner.
- Edge angle. Lean your whole body into the slope. Aim to get your back hand close to the snow.
Learn more here:
Video by Malcolm Moore
Common mistakes
- Turning your whole body with the board. Without the counter-twist there's nothing to unwind against, and you end up stopped instead of riding out.
- Trying it in wet, heavy snow. It barely sprays. Wait for light snow on a firm base.
Key tips
- Shoulders in line with the board before and after
- Lower body twists into the slash, upper body twists against it
- Minus sign, plus sign, minus sign
- Faster twist, bigger cloud
- Back hand down toward the snow for more edge angle