The world of snowsports is known for its "gnarly" vocabulary and the jargon relating to your average snowboarder's swag of tricks can take some explaining.
New Zealand rider Ben Stewart's contribution to the dictionary of snowboarding tricks is the "soggy wolf" - an outrageous combination of rotations, inverted flips and a board hand-grab, completed while flying through the air above a 22-foot (6.7m) halfpipe.
The Whangamata-raised Stewart got to name his difficult manouevre after successfully landing it for the first time at a training camp at Cardrona Alpine Resort last year.
"I'm the only one in the world who's ever done it," he said.
The trick was honed by practising on trampolines, then using a big inflatable airbag set up at Cardrona, before taking the move to the halfpipe.
Stewart (18) said the soggy wolf was a progression of a snowboarding trick, known as a double alley-oop McTwist.
It involves a 1260-degree rotation (that's three and a-half spins through the air), two inverts (equivalent to a double flip/cork), and a "mute" hand-grab (when a rider reaches down to grab the back-side of their snowboard through their legs and behind their heels).
If you think describing such a manoeuvre seems like hard work, imagine the co-ordination and dexterity needed to pull off such a trick when hurtling through the air above the compacted snow lip of a halfpipe.
The key to nailing the trick was keeping good speed into the halfpipe to get as much height and time in the air, he said.
"It was definitely a big relief to land it. Still is, you know. It's pretty hard," he says.
An attempt at a soggy wolf snared Stewart the $1000 prize for the best halfpipe trick at the New Zealand Burton Open, when he landed the move after a 900-degree rotation through the air - another move he pioneered, called the soggy dog.
The converted surfer is unsure exactly where the inspiration to name his tricks comes from, but he is hoping they push him towards his goal of a podium finish at the world junior snowboarding and freestyle championships in Wanaka next week.
Stewart is one of the leading New Zealanders who will contest the halfpipe and slopestyle at the event.
New Zealand snowboarding coach Tom Willmott said Stewart was one of the development team's top contenders, alongside Rebecca Sinclair in the under-20 snowboarding competition.
"They're our most internationally experienced snowboarders competing in the junior worlds and will be among the strongest competitors," Willmott said.
Other promising New Zealand juniors contesting snowboarding disciplines at the event include Wanaka trio Jay Walsh, Tim Herbert, and Benji Sutherland, who are coached by development squad mentor Michael Bell.
Rebecca Torr, of Te Puke, will have also gained in confidence after a strong showing at the Burton Open when she progressed to the slopestyle finals as the top female qualifier.
