Ishod Wair is a professional skateboarder from New Jersey who now resides in Los Angeles, California. He has achieved many accomplishments in skateboarding including being named the 2013 Thrasher Skater of the Year after releasing four video parts that year.

Wair is one of the most versatile skateboarders in the game, shredding anything from street to transition and probably anything else he wanted to take a stab at. He has done all of this on his signature “twin tail” skateboard from Real Skateboards.

Why Does Ishod Wair Ride A Skateboard With Two Tails?

So What Is A Twin Tail Skateboard?

I guess we should first talk about a regular skateboard which has a nose and a tail. The nose is the kick at the front and is usually broader and slightly steeper than the tail kick, hence the tail is slightly smaller. There are advantages to this such as when doing nollie tricks the nose will hit the ground slower (which is referred to as the “snap”) and also helps with popping the skateboard higher because the tail of the board is brought up higher.

Because the tail is slightly shorter it hits the ground faster and may not pop as high but is usually what most people are familiar with as they skate their board this way and are accustomed to a quicker snap.

So what is a “twin tail“? Well its exactly what is sounds like; it is a skateboard with two tails that are the same size “symmetrical” rather than a nose and tail which are slightly different sizes. A twin tail is Ishod Wair’s skateboard of choice and he has several pro models available from Real Skateboards.

The Reason Why Ishod Rides A Twin Tail

Back in 2018 Wair was a guest on the skateboarding podcast The Nine Club where he spoke about his reason behind getting into riding a symmetrical twin tail skateboard.

Wair said when riding a regular board that he would sometimes whiff the pop on his nollie or switch rail tricks although he could potentially pop higher off the nose, it was a more uncomfortable stance for him than if he was to pop from his tail. He explained this was due to the tail hitting the ground faster resulting in a more consistent snap. He also says he would prefer a more consistent pop or snap from the smaller tail and that it also helps with getting better at popping switch and nollie.

Wair said he rides an 8.3 size deck and is not fussed with which truck goes on the front or back because there is not a front or back. If you are a seasoned skateboarder you usually have a front and back truck and by swapping them it can make things a bit weird because of how you have worn them in. Wair said when he is skating ledges and smaller features such as manual pads, he can ride his board either way and does not need to think twice about it.

However, if he is skating a big spot or something that he is more at risk of injury, he will choose to ride the board the same way each attempt he does. He summed it up as “skating normal stuff I do not pay attention to the direction of the board but serious stuff I do”.

Not sure about you guys but I am intrigued and going to give the twin tail a try. Who knows if it works for Ishod maybe it will work for us? Either way it is always fun to switch up your gear and try new things. In the end it is all skateboarding and it is all fun. Go skate!