Dane Reynolds
The first person to do 540s regularly, expertly, perfectly… Dane Reynolds. | Photo: Transworld Surf

Watch: A History of Full Roters!

How Kalani Robb, Dane Reynolds and Filipe Toledo redefined space… 

The big full-spin huck. Who did it first? Who did it consistently?

Who has it so perfected he can turn four-point waves into instant tens?

Last week, we released part one of our Girl Goes Into Orbit series.

The premise is simple, if ambitious. BeachGrit takes the Santa Babs tour surfer Lakey Peterson into Mexico and, with coaching by Filipe Toledo and Brett Simpson, attempts to coax her into a full-rotation air.

Yeah, ambitious.

“I fell trying ’em for two years before I landed one,” says John John Florence in a video message to Lakey. “But I’m sure you’ll get it first try.”

Episode 1 How to Build a Board that Flies

Before we land in Mex, howevs, allow us a little side detour into the history of the manoeuvre called, variously, the full-roter (a coin termed by the filmmaker Kai Neville) or, by skate and snow jocks, the 540.

Me? If you want to forget the skate and snow influence for a moment (and remember, these are both surf-derivative sports), how about we call it what it really is, a 450. Since the lip is hit parallel it’s 90 plus 360, which equals 450.

Sexy? Not so much.

In this episode, which is anchored by the American Chris Coté who edited Transworld Surf back when it owned surfing above the air, Julian Wilson, Kolohe Andino and Kai Neville talk you through a history, a brief history, of the full-rotation air.

Watch!

Episode 2 A Brief History of the Full-Rotation Air

 

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small fins
small fins
9 years ago

I just think theres no way lakey’s getting close if she can barely do an early grab one now

Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
9 years ago

1. HAHAHAHAHA.
2. See DR’s 450 comment.
3. SIlvana can already do ’em, so the lesson would have been really short.

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago
Reply to  Mariano Landa

I saw the 450 comment.
Snowboarders spin 270, 450 and 630 too but renaming them to those numbers instead of 360, 540 and 720 would be dumb.

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago

Like most surfers it seems you can’t come to terms with the heritage of aerials.
Sad. Bad. Fake trick names.

Tom House
Tom House
9 years ago

I am better than everyone because I do not care about aerials

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
9 years ago
Reply to  Tom House

Fuckin Sunny Garcia over here!

Lemmy
Lemmy
9 years ago

I thought this was discussed already. That’s a 360. Tail out high and out, 180, air reverse – back around facing forward, 360, full roter. Kelly the first one to do a true 540

Superworm
Superworm
9 years ago
Reply to  Lemmy

You missed the final crucial episode in the (never was) debate.
Tony Hawk weighed in with his unpaid, unbiased, expert opinion and called Kelly/Albee airs 720. Full rotors aka 540s.
That was fucking final. End of story.
Keep up.

Lemmy
Lemmy
9 years ago
Reply to  Superworm

i saw that. tony hawk doesnt surf so fuck off his opinion is worthless

Superworm
Superworm
9 years ago
Reply to  Lemmy

👆 for sticking with your opinion.

Ted Heople
Ted Heople
9 years ago
Reply to  Lemmy

Surfed with him once, Tony Hawk that is. The best part was hearing my non-skater friend say, “Oh man, that guy is a fucking kook” when Tony was suiting up near us. He doesn’t surf well.

Chris Cote
Chris Cote
9 years ago

I talk about this project on my podcast (insert podcast plug here)

https://itunes.apple.com/us…

Karl Von Fanningstadt
Karl Von Fanningstadt
9 years ago
Reply to  Chris Cote

You remind me of Felix Fischoeder from Bob’s Burgers…
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago

1: Because he obviously sees the correlation between aerial tricks that have already been done in other sports and already have names.
2: Because even if you spin 390, 420, 450 or 510 and land regular/nose first down the wave you are emulating a move skate/snowboarders have been calling a 540 for decades.

Neal Kearney
Neal Kearney
9 years ago

I saw Clint Kimmons do one at Lowers from the back in like, 2000 ish. Every one was freaking out. Turns out Transworld got the sequence and ran it, and it was about a half a foot out of the water. Shows you the power of perspective, that’s for sure

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago

Why am I watching backside alley-oop airs (not even 540, or 360) when I’m hearing people talk about 540’s?

Chris Cote
Chris Cote
9 years ago
Reply to  Pierre Wikberg

Dane’s air at :54 is what I’m refferring to.

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago
Reply to  Chris Cote

I got that. But then at 1:17 alley-oop backside airs are coming from left and right. What do they have to to with this clip?
Fake news!

Superworm
Superworm
9 years ago
Reply to  Pierre Wikberg

What backside alley oops did I miss?? Timestamp please

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago
Reply to  Superworm

Like I wrote: 1:17 and forwards there are a few.
And yes they are backside alley-oops. You call frontside/backside in reference to which wat the air is spun, not how you ride the wave.

bitter guy
bitter guy
9 years ago
Reply to  Pierre Wikberg

only off a straight jump. in skateboarding they called em “launch/jump ramps” but when you’re skating tranny, the important matter is whether your cock or ass is facing the wall.

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago
Reply to  bitter guy

What are you referring to?

bitter guy
bitter guy
9 years ago
Reply to  Pierre Wikberg

that an air becomes “backside” when you’re on the frontside wall because you spun it. by calling it an alley oop we already know that you’re spinning contrary to the natural “top turn” direction. and the reason you can’t alley oop off a straight jump in the first place.

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago
Reply to  bitter guy

Nah. You call alley-oops by the way you spin in the air.
14:26 has a McTwist / backside 540.
14:38 has an alley-oop McTwist / alley-oop backside 540.
You don’t call an alley-oop McTwist frontside.
https://youtu.be/2gZIWLLSE1w

Superworm
Superworm
9 years ago
Reply to  Pierre Wikberg

Oh fuck 😥
You’re not from round these parts, are ya boy??
I think they’re looking for you over in Venice adjacent

Ted Heople
Ted Heople
9 years ago
Reply to  Pierre Wikberg

nope

Pierre Wikberg
Pierre Wikberg
9 years ago
Reply to  Ted Heople

What nope?

Bleach'd Git
Bleach'd Git
9 years ago

Enjoyed it, and not bothered by the non-stereo non-surround non-sound. Keep ’em coming.

Show us footage of the Rielly getting airborne! Chris Smith posted his brutal cutty.

Chris Binns
Chris Binns
9 years ago

Kelly didn’t beat Mick with the 10 at Bells, BTW.

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
9 years ago
Reply to  Chris Binns

Text below the clip of Slater at Bells reads *He Lost.

Chris Binns
Chris Binns
9 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

Can’t see the supers for the trees

Chris Cote
Chris Cote
9 years ago
Reply to  Chris Binns

BTW! ALL CAPS!

Karl Von Fanningstadt
Karl Von Fanningstadt
9 years ago

Julian and Kai sounded like they were calling in from space…
Unrelated to that, does Biolos know about the Sharpeye advertisements?

Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
9 years ago

Shit, between the …Lost, Sharp Eye, and Channel Islands plugs, I think I’m gonna go hunt up a Pukas or something.


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