diff --git a/ionic/components/app/test/sink/main.html b/ionic/components/app/test/sink/main.html
index 5f3c6e2bb3..145d90cb28 100644
--- a/ionic/components/app/test/sink/main.html
+++ b/ionic/components/app/test/sink/main.html
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
   </ion-content>
 </ion-aside>
 
-<ion-nav #content [register]="content" register-id="myNav"></ion-nav>
+<ion-nav #content [register]="content" register-id="myNav" swipe-back-enabled="false"></ion-nav>
 
 <style>
 my-modal {
diff --git a/ionic/components/nav/nav.ts b/ionic/components/nav/nav.ts
index 79e8a137ec..e032fe4f0b 100644
--- a/ionic/components/nav/nav.ts
+++ b/ionic/components/nav/nav.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {Component, Directive, View, ElementRef, Parent, Optional, forwardRef, onInit, Injector} from 'angular2/angular2';
+import {Directive, View, ElementRef, Parent, Optional, forwardRef, Injector} from 'angular2/angular2';
 
 import {IonicComponent} from '../../config/annotations';
 import {ViewController} from '../view/view-controller';
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ import {ViewController} from '../view/view-controller';
   properties: [
     'root'
   ],
-  lifecycle: [onInit]
+  defaultProperties: {
+    'swipeBackEnabled': true
+  }
 })
 @View({
   template: '<template pane-anchor></template>',
@@ -25,10 +27,14 @@ export class Nav extends ViewController {
     super(parentViewCtrl, injector, elementRef);
   }
 
-  onInit() {
+  onIonInit() {
     if (this.root) {
       this.push(this.root);
     }
+
+    // default the swipe back to be enabled
+    let isSwipeBackEnabled = (this.swipeBackEnabled || '').toString() !== 'false';
+    this.isSwipeBackEnabled( isSwipeBackEnabled );
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/ionic/components/nav/swipe-handle.ts b/ionic/components/nav/swipe-handle.ts
index 9d7c63bbcc..aa666f4486 100644
--- a/ionic/components/nav/swipe-handle.ts
+++ b/ionic/components/nav/swipe-handle.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ export class SwipeHandle {
     @Parent() @Inject(forwardRef(() => Pane)) pane: Pane,
     elementRef: ElementRef
   ) {
-    if (!viewCtrl || !pane) return;
+
+    if (!viewCtrl || !viewCtrl.isSwipeBackEnabled() || !pane) return;
 
     const self = this;
 
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ export class SwipeHandle {
       self.onDragHorizontal(ev);
     }
 
-    gesture.on('panend', ev => { self.onDragEnd(ev); });
+    gesture.on('panend', gestureEv => { self.onDragEnd(gestureEv.gesture); });
     gesture.on('panleft', dragHorizontal);
     gesture.on('panright', dragHorizontal);
 
@@ -39,12 +40,12 @@ export class SwipeHandle {
     self.width = null;
   }
 
-  onDragEnd(ev) {
-    ev.preventDefault();
-    ev.stopPropagation();
+  onDragEnd(gesture) {
+    gesture.srcEvent.preventDefault();
+    gesture.srcEvent.stopPropagation();
 
     // TODO: POLISH THESE NUMBERS WITH GOOD MATHIFICATION
-    let progress = (ev.gesture.center.x - this.startX) / this.width;
+    let progress = (gesture.center.x - this.startX) / this.width;
     let completeSwipeBack = (progress > 0.5);
     let playbackRate = 4;
 
@@ -74,23 +75,25 @@ export class SwipeHandle {
     this.startX = null;
   }
 
-  onDragHorizontal(ev) {
+  onDragHorizontal(gestureEv) {
+    let gesture = gestureEv.gesture;
+
     if (this.startX === null) {
       // starting drag
-      ev.preventDefault();
-      ev.stopPropagation();
+      gesture.srcEvent.preventDefault();
+      gesture.srcEvent.stopPropagation();
 
-      this.startX = ev.gesture.center.x;
+      this.startX = gesture.center.x;
       this.width = this.pane.width() - this.startX;
 
       this.viewCtrl.swipeBackStart();
     }
 
-    this.viewCtrl.swipeBackProgress( (ev.gesture.center.x - this.startX) / this.width );
+    this.viewCtrl.swipeBackProgress( (gesture.center.x - this.startX) / this.width );
   }
 
   get showHandle() {
-    return (this.viewCtrl ? this.viewCtrl.swipeBackEnabled() : false);
+    return (this.viewCtrl ? this.viewCtrl.canSwipeBack() : false);
   }
 
   onDestroy() {
diff --git a/ionic/components/view/view-controller.ts b/ionic/components/view/view-controller.ts
index 27b2366880..ad76784bf8 100644
--- a/ionic/components/view/view-controller.ts
+++ b/ionic/components/view/view-controller.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export class ViewController extends Ion {
 
     this.sbTransition = null;
     this.sbActive = false;
+    this.sbEnabled = true;
 
     this.id = ++ctrlIds;
     this._ids = -1;
@@ -364,10 +365,19 @@ export class ViewController extends Ion {
     }
   }
 
-  swipeBackEnabled() {
-    let activeItem = this.getActive();
-    if (activeItem) {
-      return activeItem.enableBack();
+  isSwipeBackEnabled(val) {
+    if (arguments.length) {
+       this.sbEnabled = !!val;
+    }
+    return this.sbEnabled;
+  }
+
+  canSwipeBack() {
+    if (this.sbEnabled) {
+      let activeItem = this.getActive();
+      if (activeItem) {
+        return activeItem.enableBack();
+      }
     }
     return false;
   }