How To Cork 360 & 540
Nothing says effortless control like throwing down a slow, styled out Cork 360 or 540. In this tutorial, we're gonna break it down to help you land one of the floatiest tricks out there!
Learning this trick on the trampoline with the Tramp Skis will give you a realistic idea and feel for the swing weight of the skis when spinning.
(Narrating/Skiing: Dean Bercovitch. Film/Edit: Vince Emond. Filmed At: Whistler Water Ramps & Whistler Blackcomb)
The Basics
When learning this trick, there's a few things to note before you get going. First and foremost, you need to make sure you're getting onto the right axis. If you set slightly forward on take off, you'll find yourself throwing a Bio 360 and if you're axis is too far sideways this would be a Sideflip.
The more air awareness that you have beforehand, the easier you'll find it while learning the Cork 360. Mistys, Flat 3s and Backflips will give you a really good foundation but as a minimum you should be able to consistently land Starfish 360s before adding this one to your bag of tricks.
The perfect Starfish to start with!
The perfect Starfish to start with!Getting The Grab
Warm up on the tramp and practice reaching for an inside Safety grab with your leading hand, while ensuring your leg remains straight. Getting into the correct body position is what will initiate the Cork. This is why it's really important here that you're reaching down to your skis rather than bringing your legs up to your hands.
Reach down to perfect your body position.
Reach down to perfect your body position.Starting The Rotation
Begin by aiming to land 180s with the grab only starting once you're at 90. Remember to keep that Starfish takeoff! Once you're comfortable with these, progress onto throwing 36's with a grab starting at 180. Keep that form perfect! Make sure you're getting these without flailing or needing to use a Shifty.
Once your 360 is smooth with the inside Safety grab, it's time to start reaching for the grab at 90!
Start to reach for your grab at 90.
Start to reach for your grab at 90.Almost There!
At this point, you may start to feel off balance in the air and when landing. This is because the 3 is starting to cork. Build on this until you're able to go for the grab at 45. If you don't feel like this then you're likely bringing your leg up rather than reaching down.
To tighten it up, pull your loose leg into a tuck to really get it Corked. It's about to speed up so be prepared to land at 450 or even 540 to begin with. This is totally normal, just focus on your starfish take off and it'll slow back down.
Tucking your loose leg in will increase the Cork!
Tucking your loose leg in will increase the Cork!Pro Tip
To finish this up, change from leading inside Safety to regular Safety. To keep the cork feeling the same, maintain the same leg positions while using the different grab. Now that you've nailed the Cork 3, getting the 540 is the simple task of adding an additional 180 at the end of the rotation!
Ollie Barbour
Ski Addiction
Helping You Ski Better