Shaun White Snowboarding But Just What the Heck is a Double McTwist 1260?

ust what is Shaun White's Double McTwist 1260? Sounds like some kind of new ice cream cone at McDonald's or something, does it not? Far from it, actually. The Double McTwist 1260 is a Shaun White snowboarding creation, an extremely difficult trick invented for the use in the half pipe and perfected just for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Games.

There is little doubt that snowboarder Shaun White is not only an amazing performer but a great competitor as well. If there is doubt, one need only take a look at some of his videos, especially the video of the gold medal winning performance after he crashed at this year's X Games. But a look at his gold medal run in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics should erase any vestige of lingering doubt one might have. And if for some reason there still remained some doubt, the video of his Double McTwist 1260, the "Tomahawk," snowboarding trick that he unveiled at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics should more than take care of it.

Shaun White won his second gold medal for Team USA Wednesday evening, successfully defending his gold medal win in 2006 at Torino. His win capped off a great day for Team USA, as Shani Davis took home the gold medal in the 1000 m speed skating competition and Lindsey Vonn won the Women's Downhill Ski competition. But the win was made even more exciting by Shaun White's flare for the dramatic. He had said before the competition that he had a new trick that he would use that he thought just might win him his second gold medal.

His score after his first run was 46.8 and was high enough to give Shaun White the gold medal even before he took his second run. With no pressure, the lanky redhead made his second run, unveiling the Double McTwist 1260 and amazing both his competitors and the audience.