How To Lipslide

In this tutorial, we are teaching you how to Lipslide rails. While this is considered a fairly basic jib trick on skis, because your tails have to go over the feature the Lipslide can be a difficult trick to learn. Use the tips in this tutorial to learn the Lipslide so you're stomping them next time you're in the park.

Check out our Jibbing Basics tutorial series for even easier jib tricks. Or check out our Spinning In & Out tutorial series for some tougher jib trick tutorials.

(Narrating/Skiing: Dean Bercovitch. Film/Edit: Vince Emond. Filmed At: Whistler Blackcomb)

Start Here With These Pre-Requisite Tricks

It’s smart to start on a tube rail or a box to be safe because we want to avoid catching our tails at all costs. So before learning Lipslides, make sure you can do these trick off the ground and on small lips:

• Nollies
• Nollie Shifty’s
• Nollie 180s

Also, hitting rails quickly and landing switch is super helpful!

The Lipslide Essentials

To Lipslide you need to approach the rail from the opposite side than when you slide it regularly.

Notice regular on the left hand side is different to the Lipslide on the right hand side...

Try riding up to the rail from that side and do a Nollie Shifty. Get your tails to tap part of the rail to help with confidence moving forward. To help with the commitment onto the rail, come from that same side and make sure you can jump over it.

Sending The Lipslide

For Lipslides, speed is your friend because it helps clear more of the rail faster and also helps get your tails up and over the feature. Therefore, you should roll in a little quicker than normal, be about half of your tails length away from the rail and aim your tips towards the rail.

Dean locked in to a solid Lipslide.

Keep your weight in the front of your boots to avoid sliding back. For your first attempts while you may be nervous, it’s okay to pick up your close foot before your other one. The most important part is to get your tails clear. Once you have lifted your tails over, look down to the end of the rail and twist your hips and shoulders to be perpendicular to it.

Once you’re on the rail, try and keep your legs apart and stay low for a low centre of gravity to help keep stable. 

A good Lipslide will have the toe piece of your binding hitting first. This helps lock in to avoid sliding off either side. 

Progressing Your Lip Slides

Learning to do Lipslides from both sides will help your progression moving forward in to spinning on and switch ups. So enjoy this trick and get ready to start stomping more difficult rail slides!

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Alex McCann
Ski Addiction
Helping You Ski Better