Scotty James’s quest for snowboard half-pipe gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics could boil down to two tricks

The men's snowboard half-pipe is one of the most spectacular competitions at the Winter Olympics.

Dizzying spins and astonishing amplitude are the order of the day as riders look to wow the judges with their vast array of tricks and skills.

Despite the multitude of possible combinations, at this Olympics the competition could come down to just two: the triple cork and the switch backside.

This is what all the top men are currently striving to complete in competition.

Essentially, it's when a rider does three diagonal flips in a single jump.

If you think that sounds hideously dangerous and more like something you'd attempt on a computer game, then you're right. Yet the top men are all starting to push this boundary, and the smart money is on at least one of them landing it at these Games.

The Australian teenage snowboarding star's maturity is on full show as he joins medal hope Scotty James in Friday's halfpipe final.

Landing a triple cork in a complete run on a half-pipe has proven to be difficult.

Just ask USA legend Shaun White, who ended up in hospital when he was first experimenting with it in 2013. He said it «hasn't been my bread and butter this season» when asked if he'd bring one out at this Games.

Now though, the triple cork is within touching distance for the best male riders on the planet.

The difficulty in gaining that much air and that many rotations is not just landing the initial trick but doing so while being in a position to put together your next trick.

That's what has scuppered Japan's Ayumu Hirano, who first nailed a triple cork in December's Dew Tour event in Colorado, a frontside triple cork 1440 — that's four full rotations as well as the three off-axis flips.

He landed it but failed to complete his next