On a skateboard, the part that is angled upwards, enabling the skater to raise the wheels of the opposite end off of the ground. Invented in the 70's by Powell-Peralta.
Originally, a Powell-Peralta's kicktails were just a wedge of wood glued onto one end of the deck.
A kicktail is made by pressing and steaming the maple plywood before it has been shaped into the general shape of a skateboard. A slight concavity is added to the middle of the deck at this time, also.