PREAMBLE
I really want to cross back loop off my “bucket list”, but it has proved a difficult task. I am note sure I am in the 1000's of tries, but I am well into the 100's for sure.
In the past my attempts go something like this: rotation starts the moment I leave the wave, not enough height, flat rotation, descending before the nose of the board is through the eye of the wind, re-enter the water with the board out to the side of my body, etc. A friend of mine once said to me, "That's no back loop, it's a 'Pelican'!", because of my tendency to have a flat rotation (what I like to call a frying pan rotation) and then knife into the water with my mast and body in a horizontal position.
But, I had a bit of an epiphany last fall
(see below) and based on this new found glimmer of hope, here is what I am currently working on (all comments are welcome, as always). Please note, I wrote this before I saw this tread and was then encouraged to see some reinforcing comments in winddoctor’s comments.
YOU NEED HEIGHT
Yeah, but how do you get it?
The only time you want to rotate on take-off is on a really small wave. What I need to aim for is a ‘stock jump’ take-off (in the words of Levi Siver).
YOU NEED AN UP-DOWN ROTATION
Not a spin - unless the ramps are really small.
The ‘stock-jump’ will lead you naturally into the ‘up’ part of an ‘up-down’ rotation.
YOU NEED TO LAND STRAIGHT DOWNWIND
You need to land straight down-wind (at the end of your ‘up-down’ jump), with the board underneath you (not beside you). In the words of the announcer in the “Jump” video, “You need courage for a downwind landing!”
EXAMPLES
Here is one I have been watching (over and over and over again).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIYkIhsgzFE
Listen to what Scott Mckercher says at around 1:20 to the end:
1) Hit a steep ramp and get lots of
height
2) Dump the power in the sail by
stalling at the apex of the jump
3)
Spot your landing (down wind)
K100 wrote a back loop tutorial (no longer on-line) that talked about going straight up and then straight down. The point I think he made is if you really do an ‘up-down’ loop, you will never over-rotate as you are coming down (not spinning). This makes sense, no?
MY EXPERIENCE
This is what I was trying to work on last fall in October at Centennial (the ‘up-down’ rotation) and in a couple of attempts, I was surprised at how the sail did depower near (and past) the apex of the jump – I also found myself surprised to see I had already started to come down because the rig was super light in my hands. Unfortunately I was so shocked at how much height I had rounding the apex with the ‘up-down’ launch and my new found position aiming straight down wind I bailed.
So what I am thinking is if I was to work on one thing (assuming I do a good job of wave selection and I remember to do the 'stock jump' part) is to (1) work on spotting the landing (based on some of winddoctors comments above); and (2) directing the board to the water (by extending front foot down toward the water while tucking the back foot up).
Sorry for the long post but I REALLY want to cross this one off my “bucket list”! Please let me know if you think - am headed in the right direction (or not)? Thanks.
/edit 2011 Aug 25 to remove dead link to K100 tutorial
I managed to pull off a bunch off back loop attempts yesterday in the raging winds of the Wild West 
I got around on most to the point where I was scooping the nose of the board into the water. They were all starboard jumps off of steep 3' - 4' ramps.
CB however 
