“Go big or go home empty-handed” is the creed of the halfpipe-dwelling athletes who seek a piece of the $90,000 purse at the 6th Annual World Superpipe Championships.

According to U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Coach Ricky Bower, a rider’s ability to soar up the side of a 22-foot wall and launch up to 20 feet off the lip of the Eagle Superpipe is critical to their success. Ample air time gives them the freedom to pull tricks and room to put their own stamp on classic stunts to “tweak it out,” as they say on the halfpipe. On average, each rider will pull five to six tricks back-to-back, but each will differ from the next. In the world of snow sports, it seems, riding the pipe is less science and more creative writing.

“You score points by doing the more difficult things, and in a stylish manner,” he says. “So looking good is very important when it comes to making the judges happy.”

Former U.S. Snowboarding Head Halfpipe Coach Bud Keene recently produced “A Theory of Revolution,” an instructional DVD in which he says he aimed to help riders “learn from the best, but to ultimately do it your own way.”

The film features famed riders teaching techniques for some of the more popular tricks in the halfpipe, while still emphasizing the individuality of the sport.

While mid-way through a “backside alley oop,” rider Louis Vito shares in the film that he builds speed in the halfpipe to have more time to flex the board in the air. Doing it your own way “may sound like a paradox to those who don’t understand our sport, but it’s not,” he explains. “It’s a cornerstone of U.S. Snowboarding’s philosophy and it wins medals at the Olympics.”

Here are some standard moves for spectators to watch out for on Saturday, March 8, as snowboarders and skiers brave Park City Mountain Resort’s icy mammoth feature:

The Whirling Dervish

A trick named after the Turkish dance, the Whirling Dervish is a 1080-degree rotation off the lip of the halfpipe wall. All told, riders like Steve Fisher make three revolutions in the air after leaving the ground. Since women typically have trouble getting their bodies as high as men (according to Bower, where men can go up to 15 to 20 feet high, women generally get about 12 to 13 feet high because they weigh less), only a few have come close to completing a Whirling Dervishes. Among them is this weekend’s competitor Kelly Clark, Bower says.

The McTwist

Bower explains this as a 540-degree spin that looks almost like a front flip. “It’s pretty hard, but a lot more people are able to do it,” says Bower.

Backside 900s

A Backside 900 is a spin on the heel-side wall. On the backside wall, standing on their heels, riders will jump up for a two-an-a-half rotation spin. The trick is to get enough speed from the other wall and only a few women pull this trick, says Bower. Watch for U.S.A.’s Ellery Hollingsworth this weekend, because she’s among them, according to Bower.

Rodeo Flips

Rodeo Flips are variations on a spin. As they rotate their bodies from 540 to 720-degrees, riders “cork it out” positioning their bodies parallel to the ground.

Mellow Backy

It may not be mellow, but that’s what jibbers like to call it, says Bower. In essence, the trick can be described as a “laid out back flip.” Like most tricks, the rider has to feel his or her own body in the air to get it right. Some of the best riders in the halfpipe, such as Elana Height and Louis Vito, have a background in gymnastics, says Bower.

The Sixth annual World Superpipe Championships

The competition portion of the World Superpipe Championship will take place on Saturday, March 8. Every competitor takes three runs. Competitors take three runs of which the best run is scored. For the three events women’s snowboarding, men’s snowboarding and men’s skiing a cash purse of $30,000 is awarded. Winners of each event receive $15,000.

The competition takes place at Park City Mountain Resort’s Eagle Superpipe, a feature cut by a 22-foot-high Zaug pipe-cutter. Attendance is free and open to the public.

The planned schedule for Saturday’s World Superpipe Championship is as follows:

*9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Women’s Snowboard Competition

*11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Men’s Snowboard Competition

*1:45 – 3:15 p.m. Men’s Ski Competition

*3:15 p.m. Award ceremony

World Superpipe Championships lineup

Men’s Snowboaders Shaun White Winner ’07 – USA Mason Aguirre Winner ’06 – USA Kevin Pearce USA Jack Mitrani USA Luke Mitrani USA Kier Dillon USA JJ Thomas USA Mitchell Brown – New Zealand Markus Malin – Finland Gary Zebrowski – France Peetu Piirroinen – Finland Markus Keller – Switzerland Toni-Markus Turunen – Finland Mitch Allan – Australia Janne Korpi – Finland Andy FInch – USA Steve Fisher – USA

Women’s Snowboarders Torah Bright Winner ’06 & ’07 Australia Kelly Clark USA Soko Yamaoka Japan Junko Asazuma Japan Shiho Nakashima Japan Leslie Glenn USA Juliane Bray – New Zealand Meg Pugh – USA Sophie Rodriguez – France Tricia Byrnes – USA Ellery Hollingsworth – USA

Men’s Skiers Simon Dumont Winner ’07 USA Tanner Hall Winner ’06 USA Mike Riddle Canada JP Solberg USA Stefan Thomas USA John Symms USA Jossi Wells New Zealand Scott Hibbert Cananda Trevor Felton – USA Dan Marion – USA Tyler Peterson – USA Matt Hayward – Canada Justin Dorey Canada Jon Marks – USA Tucker Perkins – USA Sean Field – USA Peter Olenick – USA

‘A Theory of Revolution’

U.S. Snowboarding’s instructional DVD, “A Theory of Revolution” is $24.95 at U.S. Snowboarding’s online shop, theory.ussnowboarding.com.