Overview and Structure
The Back Mobe is an unhooked trick that combines a Backroll (backward vertical rotation) with a 360-degree frontside handle pass in the air. In the kiteboarding scene, when riders simply refer to a “Mobe”, they are usually talking about the Back Mobe, which serves as the prototype for all Mobe-family tricks. The term originated in the early days of wakeboarding as an acronym for M.O.B.E. (Maddest Off-axis Boarding Experience). It was introduced to kiteboarding around 1997 by Lou Waiman, a legend with a wakeboarding background.
Mechanisms and Tips
The absolute requirement for a trick to be officially recognized as a Mobe is the successful completion of both “one full roll” and “at least a 360-degree spin”. If the spin stops halfway and the rider lands with only a 180-degree rotation, it is referred to as a “Backroll to Blind” and is not considered a true Mobe. The Back Mobe involves carving hard upwind on the edge and popping off the water to initiate the rotation. Because the rider generates the pop themselves, it can be executed on flat water, unlike the Moby Dick which relies heavily on a wave kicker.
Derived Tricks
There are various derived tricks based on the fundamental structure of the Back Mobe, altered by changing the takeoff or rotation axis.
- Front Mobe: A mobe based on a front roll.
- Low Mobe: An advanced style of the Back Mobe executed while keeping the kite extremely low to the water.
- S-Mobe: A variation where the rider uses counter-rotation to perform the pass while maintaining a flat axis without inverting.
- Crow Mobe: A variation where the rider pops from a toeside edge into a front roll and links it into a frontside handle pass.
Notable Riders and Scenes
- Lou Waiman: A pioneer who quickly introduced wakeboard-derived tricks like the Mobe and KGB into the kiteboarding scene in the late 1990s, fundamentally elevating freestyle techniques.
- Youri Zoon: Famous for his perfectly executed and powerful Low Mobes, showing such overwhelming consistency in competitions that commentators often say he “can do them in his sleep.”
- Carlos Mario: Possesses overwhelming skill, flawlessly landing high-difficulty variations like the Crow Mobe 5 even in tricky chop conditions.
Search Aliases: Back Mobe 5, BackMobe5, MOBE, Back Mobe, BackMobe