Mr.Huck
Active member
Alright, so I 'm way old school, trying to evolve. Rails have been tough for me to get solid on. I am pretty good on fun boxes, but I choke on metal. I’ve gotten a lot better this year, and got really stoked after watching the traveling circus. After checking out Andy and Will's session at Hood, I figured out how to tip roll urban onto a butter box. Metal is still kicking my butt. I know how it feels to lock onto a rail, but I psych myself out most of the time. I have taken some huge beaters this season hopping on with my feet too close together and standing too tall.
In 2003 we had that huge snow in Denver and I went to Garts and bought one of their cheap skateboard grind rails. I broke out my snow blower, made a run in and starting hitting it. The metal was so soft that it didn't take long before my edges curled back a huge burr on the rail. The next time I tried sliding it, my front ski stopped dead and I piled. I made a few lame attempts using power tools to grind it smooth again and wax it, but it still kept getting burrred up. Since we haven't had any really big snows in Denver in awhile, that rail has just been leaning up against my garage. A few days ago I broke it out for a neighborhood kid who skateboards. When he was done messing around, I started jumping on the rail with shoes on. I started just trying to olly on and get my feet set right. Once I felt pretty good with that, I started getting more tech. I worked on 270 ons, natural and unnatural; Switch ups and backsides; 270 and 450 offs. The rail is actually like a mini flat down or up flat rail. I could olly up to the low flat and then olly and switch up to the upper flat. Anyway the rail is probably a little more than an inch wide, and it definitely wasn't easy, but it was fun getting creative on it. I even figured out how to do a hippie killer. I'm not saying that the next time I get up to a park, I'm going to start killin it like Wesson and Parry, but I think I will have more confidence on metal.
I've been trying to mess around on it for an hour or so before dinner. My neighbors think I'm an idiot, but they thought that when I built a landing hill in my back yard and started doing switch 1's off my roof. It's all about progression. Since I live in Denver and can't get to a park everyday (and they never opened Ruby Hill); this gives me a way to get some decent practice. I highly recommend it as a way to get comfortable trying new rail tricks. These rails cost about $30. If you want something you can actually hit on skis and you don't know how to weld; yeah, pvc is better. The rail that I have has rubber pads on the bottom so I could actually bring it into my living room and practice, except my wife would divorce me.
Some of you rail gods may think this is too gaper, but if an old guy shows up at your park busting hippie killers, that might change. Oh, and yeah, you can still wreck yourself pretty good jumping onto a skinny rail with shoes on. It’s funny how when you are just messing around like that, you start cooking up all kinds of sick moves. I’m not going to elaborate because maybe I want to claim one of them. :-{
In 2003 we had that huge snow in Denver and I went to Garts and bought one of their cheap skateboard grind rails. I broke out my snow blower, made a run in and starting hitting it. The metal was so soft that it didn't take long before my edges curled back a huge burr on the rail. The next time I tried sliding it, my front ski stopped dead and I piled. I made a few lame attempts using power tools to grind it smooth again and wax it, but it still kept getting burrred up. Since we haven't had any really big snows in Denver in awhile, that rail has just been leaning up against my garage. A few days ago I broke it out for a neighborhood kid who skateboards. When he was done messing around, I started jumping on the rail with shoes on. I started just trying to olly on and get my feet set right. Once I felt pretty good with that, I started getting more tech. I worked on 270 ons, natural and unnatural; Switch ups and backsides; 270 and 450 offs. The rail is actually like a mini flat down or up flat rail. I could olly up to the low flat and then olly and switch up to the upper flat. Anyway the rail is probably a little more than an inch wide, and it definitely wasn't easy, but it was fun getting creative on it. I even figured out how to do a hippie killer. I'm not saying that the next time I get up to a park, I'm going to start killin it like Wesson and Parry, but I think I will have more confidence on metal.
I've been trying to mess around on it for an hour or so before dinner. My neighbors think I'm an idiot, but they thought that when I built a landing hill in my back yard and started doing switch 1's off my roof. It's all about progression. Since I live in Denver and can't get to a park everyday (and they never opened Ruby Hill); this gives me a way to get some decent practice. I highly recommend it as a way to get comfortable trying new rail tricks. These rails cost about $30. If you want something you can actually hit on skis and you don't know how to weld; yeah, pvc is better. The rail that I have has rubber pads on the bottom so I could actually bring it into my living room and practice, except my wife would divorce me.
Some of you rail gods may think this is too gaper, but if an old guy shows up at your park busting hippie killers, that might change. Oh, and yeah, you can still wreck yourself pretty good jumping onto a skinny rail with shoes on. It’s funny how when you are just messing around like that, you start cooking up all kinds of sick moves. I’m not going to elaborate because maybe I want to claim one of them. :-{