The tripod is a flashy ground trick where you plant both hands in the snow and press your board onto its nose, balancing on three points - two hands and the nose of your board - with the tail in the air. It looks wild from a distance: riders carving past will do a double take when they see you upside down on the snow. Done quickly, it even reads like a hand-dragged 360 nose roll.
Before you try it
You should be comfortable riding switch, since you'll typically rotate into the tripod and your board ends up swapped around underneath you. Being solid with nose presses helps too, because the board position is essentially a deep press.
Find a flat, quiet spot off to the side of the run. Practice the position from a standstill first, even strapped in without moving. This gets you used to supporting your upper body on your arms while the board is pressed out, before adding any speed.
How to do it
From a standstill or gentle glide, rotate toward your tripod - frontside or backside both work, but frontside is the friendlier option because you can see where you're going the whole way in. As you turn, reach down and plant both hands in the snow, lean your weight onto your arms, and press the board up onto its nose so the tail points to the sky.
Hold it as long as your balance allows, or keep it quick and snappy - a fast tripod flows almost like a hand-drag 360 nose roll and still counts. To come out, you again have the choice of exiting frontside or backside. Since the board is pressed so hard onto the nose, you can use the pop stored in the tail to spring out of the position, then settle back onto your base and carve away down the run.
Learn more here:
Video by Johnathan Buckhouse
Key tips
- Practice the position on flat ground at a standstill before trying it with speed
- Lean confidently onto your arms; they hold your upper body while the board presses out
- Use the pop from the loaded tail to spring out, then carve away
- Wear good waterproof gloves - your hands will get soaked, and hard snow can chew up gloves and jacket sleeves