A nollie is a nose ollie: popping off the nose of your board instead of the tail while riding forwards. It's mostly a style move, a way to mix up your riding rather than a trick you need for speed or height. You'll see it used on purpose in a few specific spots - getting onto rail features, holding a nose press into a jib, and as the setup for the tame dog front flip.
The technique mirrors the ollie, just reversed. Start on flat ground with the board strapped in. Shift your weight and lean forward until you're balanced over the nose in a nose-pressed position. From here, spring off the nose and bring both feet up evenly into the air, aiming to land with a flat base under both feet rather than dropping onto your tail. Getting flex into the board is what makes the nollie work - you're bending the board to store energy, then releasing it as it snaps back toward its normal shape.
Riding downhill, the nollie feels awkward at first. It takes real commitment to spring off the nose, and it's far easier to learn on a flat section than while moving. Done wrong, you'll land back on your tail. The better technique is to pop into the air with both feet, then even your weight out over the whole board while still riding. Just before you pop, keep a touch of weight on your back foot - it helps you shift the board underneath you to load the nose, and it's especially useful if you're trying to nollie higher.
Timing is the other big difference from an ollie. Because you're popping from the nose, which sits in front of you, you need to initiate earlier than you would for an ollie. A snowball or marker on the ground to nollie over is a good way to dial in the timing - expect to ride into it a few times before it clicks. Rollers are one of the best places to practice: the slight uphill helps load pressure into the nose, gives you more hang time, and adds a bit of float you won't get on flat ground. The same applies off the knuckle of park jumps.
Learn more here:
Video by Snowboard Addiction
Key tips
- Lean forward into a nose-pressed position before you spring, just like loading an ollie in reverse
- Pop off the nose and bring both feet up evenly, don't just jump straight up
- Land with a flat base over both feet rather than dropping onto your tail
- Keep a little weight on your back foot right before popping to help load the nose
- Nollie earlier than you would time an ollie since you're popping from the front of the board
- Practice on flat ground and use a snowball or marker to dial in the timing
- Rollers and the knuckles of jumps are the easiest places to nollie - the uphill helps load the nose