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What inspired Peter Line’s innovative snowboard tricks?
Peter Line is one of the most influential snowboarders of all time. He not only won numerous competitions and produced iconic video parts, but also pushed the boundaries of what was possible on a snowboard. Line invented tricks that were both stylish and technical, that combined freestyle and freeride elements, and that challenged the conventional norms and expectations of snowboarding. In this blog post, we will explore some of the sources of inspiration that fueled Line’s creativity, and examine how he transformed them into his own signature style.
Line’s early influences
Like many pioneering snowboarders, Line grew up skateboarding and surfing before discovering snowboarding. He started snowboarding in his hometown of Bellevue, Washington, in the mid-1980s, when the sport was still in its infancy. Line was initially drawn to the freestyle side of snowboarding, which allowed him to express his skate-style maneuverability and fluidity on snow. However, he soon developed a taste for backcountry riding, which offered him a bigger canvas and a more natural playground.
Line’s exposure to different styles and cultures of snowboarding helped shape his own vision. He was inspired by the creativity and innovation of his peers, such as Craig Kelly, Terry Kidwell, and Mike Ranquet, who pioneered early freestyle tricks like the McTwist, the Method, and the Airwalk. He also admired the grace and flow of European riders, such as Ingemar Backman, who introduced the backside rodeo to competitive snowboarding, and Gian Simmen, who won the first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding with a flawless run that included a switch backside 540. Line learned from watching and riding with these riders, and took their ideas and movements to the next level.
“As I got more into it, I started to see it as a way to express myself creatively,” Line said in an interview with Snowboarder Magazine. “I’d see other people doing things that I thought were cool, and I’d try to put my own spin on it.”
Line’s pursuit of style
Line’s obsession with style was another driving force behind his progression. He believed that snowboarding was not just about executing tricks, but also about doing them with a certain flair and finesse that reflected one’s personality and attitude. He was not satisfied with just doing a trick, he had to do it his way. He often tweaked his grabs or added extra rotations to his spins, just to make them look better.
“One of the biggest things for me was always trying to add style to everything,” Line said in an interview with Transworld Snowboarding. “I always felt like looking good was at least 50% of it. I would always think about how it looked before I did it, and then try to make it look better.”
Line’s signature tricks
Line’s most famous and innovative tricks were a reflection of his inspired mind and meticulous technique. He created tricks that combined spins, flips, and grabs in unexpected ways, and that required a high level of skill, balance, and control. Some of his signature moves include:
– The Gap to Nosepress: a trick where Line jumped over a gap or a rail, landed on his nose, and slid along it with his front foot strapped in while his back foot hung off the tail of the board. He made this seemingly simple maneuver look effortless and stylish, and it became a staple of his video parts and contests.
– The Flick: a trick where Line popped off a jump and kicked his back foot around his front foot before landing, creating a unique rotation that blended a backside spin with a frontside tweak. This trick was both visually appealing and technically impressive, and it inspired many other riders to explore variations of it.
– The Backside 180 Japan: a trick where Line spun 180 degrees backside while grabbing the toe edge of his back foot with his front hand, before releasing the grab and landing smoothly. This trick showcased Line’s ability to combine a difficult spin with a stylish grab, and it became a benchmark for backside spins in snowboarding.
– The Peter Pan: a trick where Line rode switch (backwards), spun 360 degrees, then turned his board sideways and did a switch handplant before releasing it and landing forward again. This trick was a true masterpiece of creativity, flow, and technical precision, and it pushed the boundaries of what was possible on a snowboard.
Line’s legacy
Line’s legacy in snowboarding is not only defined by his tricks, but also by his impact on the sport and its culture. He helped popularize the notion of snowboarding as an art form and a lifestyle, as well as a competitive discipline. He founded Forum Snowboards, a brand that introduced some of the most influential boards, boots, and bindings of the 2000s, and that fostered a team of riders who shared his vision of innovation and expression. He also produced and starred in some of the most iconic snowboarding videos of all time, such as The Resistance, Technical Difficulties, and True Life.
Line’s fondness for experimenting and pushing the limits has inspired many other riders to follow their own path and dream up their own tricks. Line himself acknowledged that his style was a product of his passion and curiosity, and that he did not set out with a master plan or a specific goal in mind.
“I never really considered myself to be that innovative,” Line said in an interview with Snowboarder Magazine. “I was just always trying to do something that I thought was cool. I was just going with the flow, and seeing where it would take me.”
Conclusion
Peter Line’s innovative snowboard tricks were a product of his creative impulses, his technical mastery, and his keen eye for style. Line drew inspiration from a wide range of influences, from skateboarding and surfing to early freestyle and backcountry snowboarding. He pursued his own vision of snowboarding, one that valued both the technical excellence and the artistic expression of tricks. Line’s legacy extends far beyond his own riding, as he helped shape the evolution of snowboarding as a whole. Line remains an inspiration and an icon for generations of snowboarders who continue to explore the boundless possibilities of this amazing sport.
Image Credit: Pexels