frontside

Frontside is a term used in board sports to describe the orientation of the rider’s body relative to the direction of travel or to an obstacle. It contrasts with backside, which refers to the orientation where the back of the body faces the direction of travel or the obstacle. The frontside/backside distinction is applied to spins, turns, and slides and is a standard part of the vocabulary in skateboarding and snowboarding.

In practice, a frontside trick generally involves the rider rotating or moving so that the chest and face are facing forward toward the direction of travel or toward the obstacle being approached. Common frontside examples include a frontside 180, a frontside 360, and a frontside boardslide, where the front side of the body is oriented toward the obstacle during the maneuver. The corresponding backside variants involve the back of the body leading the rotation or line.

The terms are widely used regardless of a rider’s stance (regular or goofy) and are taught in instruction, shown in competition scoring, and described in event coverage. They help distinguish the mechanics and the feel of rotations and slides, as the approach, balance, and entry can differ noticeably between frontside and backside tricks.

Outside of board sports, frontside is rarely used as a technical term, but in general discussion it can describe the front-facing aspect of a body or object in motion. In the context of action sports, however, frontside remains one of the core descriptors of movement orientation.