In 2011, the order was a Triple Backside Rodeo 1260. In 2015, this was followed by the Backside Quad Cork 1800. If you didn’t know better, you’d be forgiven for thinking that these are burgers of the month at your local fast food joint. They are, of course, snowboarding tricks though and not just any old ones either. They’re some of the hardest to perform in the entire sport.
When Billy Morgan became the first snowboarder to land these, he pretty much cemented his place in the history books for all eternity (even if cynics might try to argue otherwise). To give you a sense of the latter trick’s difficulty, a Quadruple Cork requires the rider to perform four off-axis flips with five full rotations and somehow land upright before sliding away.
When the Southampton snowboarder landed this move in Livigno, Italy, you’ll remember that the buzz around him was infectious. The footage of the trick went well and truly viral, moving beyond the borders of the snowboard news cycle and into the realm of mainstream media. It also got Billy on the radar of sports journalists ahead of what was, at the time, the next winter Olympics.
“Three years later at Pyeongchang 2018, Billy made headlines again by becoming the first British man to win an Olympic medal on snow”
Three years later at Pyeongchang 2018, Billy made headlines again by becoming the first British man to win an Olympic medal on snow. For neutrals and supporters alike, the winning of Olympic bronze felt like a much deserved payoff for all of the hard work he’d put in. His Double Grab Frontside Triple Cork and the resulting spot on the podium it earned him was, from a British perspective at least, a feelgood story for the ages.
Three years on from his heroics in Pyeonchang, and Billy’s still the same down-to-earth lad from England’s south coast; one whose stamina for shenaginans remains fully intact. Many people will never forget his debut Olympics. He famously marked his Sochi appearance by dancing with a toilet seat around his neck in the middle of a Russian nightclub. In 2018, he continued to do his bit for the concept of banter when he memorably balanced the Union flag on his chin at the Olympics closing ceremony.
During a recent telephone call with Billy, we spoke about everything from his sporting achievements to the impact Brexit will have on the future of snowboarding.
Here’s a transcript of that chinwag below.
