The Misty Flip is a forward-spinning flip performed in freestyle sports such as freeskiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, inline skating or trampolining. In its simplest form, it is a combination of a frontflip and a 180° rotation, called Misty Flip 540 (or Misty 5). The Misty Flip was first done by Jason King out of the Sugarbush half pipe circa 1991. The trick was later named by professional snowboarder Ali Goulet, an original member of the Vermont Snowboard Posse that included Jeff Brushie, Chris Swierz, and Josh Brownley. Unlike in acrobatic and non freestyle disciplines where athletes remain in the same plane in space during the trick, the front flip and the 180° spin are combined, creating a single continuous movement. Therefore, the frontflip counts as a 360° rotation, which added to the initial 180° spin, results in a 540° Misty Flip. Misty Flips can be performed in many variations with bigger spins, grabs and even double flips.
In order to perform a Misty Flip, a person must throw his shoulder down to his left or right side, commencing a spin while his head and body invert to an up-side down position. The person lands backwards or frontwards, depending on the spin.
In snowboarding, when performed on a straight jump, the motion initiates a rotation that mimics that of a McTwist, which is generally performed in halfpipes and on quarterpipes. However, because the Misty Flip is performed on a straight jump, it is further distinguished from a McTwist because the snowboarder lands backwards following the 540 rotation.
The Misty Flip was first popularized by Peter Line in the video Transworld Snowboarding Video Magazine Volume 1.