Activities The Great Outdoors How to Butter on a Snowboard Print The Great Outdoors Snowboarding Climbing Skiing Surfing Paddling Fishing Sailing Scuba Diving & Snorkeling By Matthew Gibson Matthew Gibson Matthew Gibson is an avid snowboarder and a certified snowboard instructor whose writing and photography can be found in magazines like UP! and the Huffington Post. He runs an award-winning travel blog that has been featured in USA Today and other media outlets. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 02/11/19 A butter is a flatland snowboarding trick that is fun to do and looks a lot more difficult to perform than it really is. As you master the butter, try it on a steeper slope to add speed and show off your skills for the other riders on the mountain. Butters can be performed in the halfpipe, on jumps and on other park features, so if they’re not in your bag of tricks already, it’s time to start buttering. Buttering involves applying weight to one end of the board and lifting the other end off the ground to perform a series of spins. The spins are meant to look effortless and smooth - like butter. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 15 minutes 01 of 06 Practice Makes Perfect Mark Dadswell/Getty Images Start by practicing your butters on a slight slope without any obstacles or people nearby. 02 of 06 Lift the Nose Lean back and shifts your weight over the tail of the board to lift the nose off the ground. Bend your rear knee and keep your shoulders level for balance. You should be able to hold this position with the nose of the board slightly off the ground, and your head, shoulders, and torso in line with your rear knee. 03 of 06 Begin Your Rotation To start the rotation, turn your chest and shoulders so that they are facing downhill; your board will start to rotate in the same direction as your upper body. Use the tail of the board to help you pivot, and rotate your upper body a full 180 degrees. Your board will always follow the direction your upper body spins. 04 of 06 Make the Switch After you've rotated 180 degrees shift your weight back over the center of the board to land in a switch stance. Keep your knees bent and your weight evenly distributed on both legs. 05 of 06 Practice Doing 180s Practice a number of 180-degree butters landing in a switch stance and riding away. If you’re not comfortable riding fakie you can simply finish spinning on the ground. To do this, rotate your head, shoulders, and torso in the same direction as your butter and let the board slide around with you. Keep slight pressure on your uphill edge during your ground spin, so your downhill edge doesn’t catch. 06 of 06 Full Rotation Once you feel comfortable doing a 180-degree butter, try rotating a full 360 degrees so that you land riding downhill just like you started. Always be careful to land and softly with your knees bent and weight balanced. Tip: Always be mindful of your edges when buttering; downhill edges catch easily, causing you to falter or fall.