1 The vertical drop: Burnquist rides an elevator to the top of the 88-foot MegaRamp, nearly nine stories above the ground. To begin this trick, “you’re starting goofy,” Burnquist says, referring to the ‘switch’ in the name. So he faces to his left, not his traditional right, on the drop.

2 The sweet spot: The right spin off the takeoff is critical to a smooth landing. “If you’re off axis just a little bit, you know you’re going to end up in a weird position,” Burnquist says. The MegaRamp has a gap long enough to allow for minor corrections midair. “I can turn my body forward or a little backward,” he says, “but it can’t be too much."

3 The kicker: Reaching speeds up to 40 miles per hour, Burnquist drops 65 feet to the takeoff ramp below. He’s looking backward as he approaches the 60-foot gap so his 540-degree rotation will land him forward. “So I don’t really see what’s going on all the way up until the last minute,” he says.

4 The vert ramp: “Contrary to belief, there are no Velcro [straps],” Burnquist jokes, so keeping a hold on his board and forcing the landing with strong feet is also a key heading right into a 27-foot quarterpipe. “You have to land full speed in order to take the quarterpipe,” he says.