Albee Layer Lands Surfings First Backside 720 | Surf world still has no idea how to name tricks
The surf world is going mad right now with Albee Layer‘s first landed backside “double.” Ol’ John John Slater pushed the limits again. It is a big deal both because surfing has been plagued with progression since it’s early days as Christian Fletcher pointed out in this interview. Guys are just now doing the same tricks with the same style as Christian was doing in the 80’s. That ain’t cool.
It’s also a big deal because it further drives home the fact that surfers STILL have no idea what to call the tricks they are doing. And many of them are too ignorant to realize the fact that skateboarders and snowboarders have been doing these tricks for decades and surfers can’t just go renaming them.
Wait, what the hell is a “double spin” you ask? That’s a good question. It doesn’t exist. Surfing is not wakeboarding and you shouldn’t be able to just make up random trick names for tricks that have existed for over 30-years. The trick Albee landed is a backside 720 reverted to 900 (back to forward).
It is DEFINITELY not a backside 540.
It is DEFINITELY not a backside ‘double’?
A backside double would be a backside double cork and surfers are still a few years or decades away from landing those. But they will.
Look back to Kelly Slater’s first frontside 720 and the similar meltdown amongst surfers it caused trying to name it. Things cleared up a little once the history of the tricks in snowboarding and skateboarding were shown along with it.
BeachGrit is with us on this one as well. Thank god we don’t have a ‘Blood Feud’! Pays to have a snowboarder on the payroll for once.
Once again surfers, here is a little instructional:
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