When you have got the hang of ollie’s off small kickers and jumps you should start thinking about grabbing your snowboard during a jump as it steadies you in the air, helps you go bigger off jumps, feels more comfortable and of course looks way more stylish too! There are multiple ways to grab your snowboard with either hand at various points on your board each with its own name. Each trick is a variation of the ollie so try to consider each of the steps for the ollie in mind, integrating a grab in to the process. Your initial attempts at snowboard grabs will probably only go as far as reaching for the snowboard but not actually making contact with it. Don’t let this dampen your enthusiasm though as with a bit of practice you will start to instinctively know where your board is and the position you want to grab, without looking at what you’re doing.

Here are some of the major snowboard grabs:

Indy Grab
This is possibly the simplest and easiest snowboard grab to perform and is usually the grab most people attempt first. Grab the snowboard on the toe edge just in front of your rear binding with your trailing hand. If your hand strays towards the back of the board and ends up grabbing behind your rear binding this grab becomes a ‘Tindy’ grab which is a major no-no(!) because this is sloppy.

Mute Grab
The mute grab is another one of the simpler and relatively easier snowboard grabs to execute. The mute grab is very similar to the indy grab; it involves grabbing your snowboard on the toe edge in between both bindings with your leading hand instead of your trailing hand as with the indy grab.

Meloncollie Grab
This is kind of the reverse of a mute grab; you grab your snowboard on your heel edge in between your bindings with your leading hand.

Method Grab
The method grab is subject to a fair amount of variation and can be executed in many different ways. For a more stylish looking method grab, position your hands the same as you would for a meloncollie grab however as you spring in to the trick begin lifting your front leg and push your back leg out which turns your snowboard sideways parallel with the ground. Now grab your snowboard with your leading hand on its heel edge in between your bindings. When you have got a grab on your snowboard, or at least attempted to grab your snowboard, start bringing your legs back under you in the same way they went out. Suck you legs up and absorb the impact as you would normally when landing.

Nose Grab
This snowboard grab is pretty much given away by its name. The nose grab is a real old school snowboard grab and is more likely to be seen in day-glo wearing 80’s snowboard videos however this grab still looks stylish in big air jumps today. When in the air move your leading hand to the nose of your snowboard and pull up the nose whilst bending your front leg. When attempting this at first you may be surprised as to how far you have to grab for your snowboards nose.

Palmer Grab
This snowboard grab is a variation on the method grab and was invented by Shaun Palmer of Palmer Snowboards. Instead of grabbing your snowboards heel edge in between your bindings with your leading hand you grab in front of your front binding towards the nose whilst pushing your back foot up and out so that your whole body is almost horizontal with the ground. This is a pretty advanced grab to perform.

Tail Grab
This is quite a tricky grab to perform because simply put you are grabbing your snowboard in a place you do not actually see! To execute this grab bring your trailing hand out and down grabbing the end area of your snowboards tail. It may also help to shift your back leg up a little to get your snowboards tail in to view a bit; this should make the tail grab easier.

Stalefish Grab
This is yet again one of the slightly trickier snowboard grabs to perform. The stalefish grab requires reaching round the back of your legs with your trailing hand and grabbing your snowboard on the heel edge in between your snowboard bindings.

Roast Beef Grab
This is a particularly difficult snowboard grab to pull of and is similar to the stalefish grab. With the roast beef grab you put your hand in exactly the same place as the stalefish grab, in between your bindings on the heel edge, but this time instead of going around you legs with your trailing hand you put your arm through your legs; in between them. This grab does feel very unnatural so it can take a while to master.

Chicken Salad Grab
The chicken salad grab is another in between the legs grab and is similar to the meloncollie grab. Grab your snowboards heel edge in between your bindings with your leading hand and as with the roast beef grab your arm goes in between or through your legs. Another tricky grab that feels unnatural but is fun when you’ve got it down.

Have fun trying these different snowboard grabs but remember to go at your own pace, it is not a race. If you try snowboard grabs or jumps and you are not ready the consequences can be dire.