Sport:  Freestyle Snowboarding
Height:  5' 6"
Date of Birth:  April 3, 1975
Hometown:  Carbondale, Colo.
Birthplace:  Cincinnati, OH
Homehill:  Snowmass
Stance:  Regular

Highlights:
Two World Cup top-3s in '99
Fifth at '99 FIS Worlds

Horwitz has been a member of the U.S. Snowboard Freestyle Team now for five years. As one of the most consistent riders on the team, he has 18 top-10 finishes on the World Cup Tour.

Horwitz began riding when he was 10 years old in Cincinnati, Ohio. He started competing three years later as a ninth-grader at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, Colo.

Below you can read Horwitz's tips on successfully landing a 360-degree spin. This tip is for the more advanced rider. It should be done by someone who feels comfortable on their board in various positions. It is important to remember to wear a helmet and use the proper equipment.

This tip can also be used by anyone that just wants to feel more comfortable in the air.

Tips To Land a 360-degree spin:

• Start spinning on the ground by completing 180-degree and 360-degree spins. This will help create better edge awareness and will help you land the jump.
  
• It's important to rotate your head and shoulder toward the turn while keeping your center of gravity over the board.
  
• Always keep your knees slightly bent and your body very loose.
  
• The better you become on the ground the more comfortable you will feel in the air.

• Before you begin to catch some air it is important to find a jump (kicker) that you feel comfortable with jumping off from.
  
• Make sure the landing area is on a snow-packed incline, which will provide a safer area to land on. The incline will take the pressure off your knees when you land and will create an easier fall on your body because you will fall while learning this trick.

Tip #3 - Approaching the Kicker

• I always learned to approach the jump while cutting across the jump on my toe edge. So my first piece of advice while approaching the jump would be to spin up the hill using your toe-side edge.
  
• Make sure to relax your body as you approach the jump and remain relaxed throughout the jump. One good thing to remember is that by being loose you will allow yourself to spin faster and you will have a better chance of landing the jump.

• Just like when you were spinning on the ground, the first thing you should do once you are in the air is turn your head and shoulder toward the turn.
  
• Remember the rest of your body will always follow the same direction your head moves.
  
• Try to rotate your arms around your body, which will cause your legs to follow and prepare your body for the landing.
  
• When spinning, try to bring your knees toward your chest. That will allow you to spin a lot faster.

• Learning to spin from the frontside (heels to the runway) rather than the backside (toes to the runway) might be a little easier for most people because they are able see more of the landing. The one difficulty to be aware of is that on a frontside spin there will be a tendency to land on your back edge. Remember to land on the balls of your feet.

Tip #6 - Landing the Jump

• The first thing you want to remember is to land the jump with your knees bent and relaxed. This will cushion the landing and prepare your body to keep riding.
  
• It is important to try and land the jump with both feet touching the ground at the same time, which will allow you to keep the board level.
  
• Try to land with your weight over the balls of your feet, keeping your body toward the toe edge.
  
• Always being aware of your edges and landing on both feet with your legs relaxed is the key to landing.