I propose to use the same setup as Mr_Freet in his video:
Here is the detail of the initial setup:
- Get hit on the first thorns, then run right and full jump when Donald passes the enemy.
- Turn around and full jump when you get full speed; however, you need to release B mid-jump: you'll bounce on the enemy and take a hit on the small thorns.
- Then, only hold B and Left (Y is not needed) and get ready to start pause-buffering.
To make this a bit easier on a SNES/SFC controller, I use my middle finger for Y, ring finger for B and index finger for Start (it's just a suggestion, do whatever works best for you).
The goal is to land exactly on the tip of the right-angled hill. This is pixel-perfect. After the initial setup, you want to start pause-buffering as soon as you reach the yellow/purple trunk of the tree, until you get to one of the following visuals. Depending on the visual you get, you'll know how to react to nail the skip. This will take some practice and memorization, but it makes the trick viable!
I have given names to these visuals, based on the patterns that appear when Donald's head and hands are covered by the tree (they are very approximate names, bear with me). Also, when performing the trick, Donald will actually be flashing from the damage taken before, so the exact colors you'll see in your game won't exactly match these snapshots... sorry about that.
Perfect frames
If you get one of these frames, you're golden! All you need to do is release B and Left, and un-pause. Donald should magically fall straight through the ground.
G frame (Donald's hand covered by the leaves forms a G, much more obvious with Donald flashing)
Freet frame (the one Mr_Freet found in his video, with the line of 4 pixels)
Flat G frame (Donald's hand covered by the leaves forms a flat G, also kinda looks like a 4)
V frame (Donald's forehead looks like a V)
Epsilon frame (Donald's hand covered by the leaves looks like an epsilon, or a curved E)
L2 frame (there's a white L 2 formed by the top right part of Donald's head)
What frame (no idea how to name that one)
Near-perfect frames
These frames are just a bit behind some of the perfect frames. You'll need some tight pause-buffering to reach them.
Bird frame (Donald's head covered by leaves looks like a soaring bird)
Hold B and Left and keep pause-buffering until you get either the G or the flat G frame, then release.
2^x frame (the top left part of Donald's head an beak form a 2 to the x power)
Hold B and Left and keep pause-buffering until you get either the Epsilon or the What frame, then release.
Other cases
Diagonal frame (the visible tip of Donald's hand forms a small diagonal, or a staircase)
Release B and Left, hold Right and un-pause. Then pause-buffer until you get this frame of animation:
Then release Right and un-pause. This can be done un-buffered, but it's a bit tight.
Backwards N frame (Donald's forehead looks like a wide backwards N)
Release B and Left and un-pause. Then pause buffer until you reach this:
This is like the 3rd or 4th frame where Donald uses this animation. Then buffer one Left input (hold Left, un-pause and re-pause quickly; Donald must move a bit) and release.
Those visuals should get you covered for most cases. Feel free to share if you encounter more useful ones. From my experience, I find that the G frame and the Diagonal frame seem to be the most frequent ones, but that might be due to my particular timing for the setup.
Good luck!
To complement this, Mr_Freet made this video. The general idea is the same, but he is demonstrating different visuals than the ones I have presented, so it might also be helpful:
