So I'm planning on hitting my summer setup for the first time today...

Ryan*

Ryan*

Active member
I just built it last weekend...I'm scared as shit. Every time I've tried a rail, I've ate it extra super hard. Bruised hip, super bruised hip, subluxed shoulder, subluxed shoulder again...can someone help me man the fuck up?
 
just gotta commit to it and keep relaxed, look to the end of the rail. you are probably leaning back too much so try and keep centered on your skis
 
Yeah, the key is to relax and keep focused. Try to move as little as possible, the more you move the harder it is to balance. Also, don't go too slow, everyone tends to think that slower will be better when they first start hitting rails, but it's harder to control yourself when you're going slow. Good luck man, I know how much those hippers hurt, I skied almost the entire season with a bruise the size of a DVD on my hip, that sucked.
 
speed will make your time spent on the rail shorter, which is good when you first start, cuz your balance tends to be not so good. Also make sure you are committing to the full 90 degree pop because if you only pop 60 degrees you will slip off the side. keep your feet about shoulder width apart to help with stability and keep your front edges a few millimeters up, so that you dont catch your edges. dont exaggerate the tilt or else you will slip out. really only 1 or 2 mm. watch the end of the rail. not your feet. arms out to the side can also help with balance. good luck!
 
film everything or take pics; i'm hitting mine next week if the building progresses as expected; mine 'll be huge, like 6ft wide drop-in and 12ft height..... :D
oh and for your first run on your setup: just remove the rail or box and get used to just sliding out, then get your box or rail in....
thats the way i do it...
 
Technically, summer ain't over until September 22nd, so if we're talking about technicalities...

oh and to I_Am_God, that's what I did, it's a bit sketchy and slow but I've got the hang of popping off it
 
im pretty sure ohio_steeze just said that. and somone else said its not fall till september 22 so its still a summer sesh.
 
lean more forward, i guarantee that you have been hurt so many times because you fall back every time. man up and just chill with it, don't get nervous.
 
Try and cop some padded shorts; if you can't stick some pillows right on your hip bone. Helps with confidence and it works.
 
For the speed, I would use plastic lattice fence sold at Home Depot. There are lots of different construction fences; some work well, some suck. Use lattice for the drop and construction fence only for the jump. The construction fence gives more grip for your takeoff.

For the yips that you're dealing with, make sure that you are dropping in a wider stance than what feels normal; about hip width or a little wider. On your ski in, bounce up and down a little. Don't actually get your skis off the ramp but simulate the popping movement a little. That should keep your legs a little looser. When you pop, make sure you are popping from both feet evenly. When you get 90 to the rail, extend your downhill arm out and down toward the far end of the rail. That will keep you from falling back uphill and also it would stop you from rotating past 90 on the rail.

If you think about all of these things when you are about to drop, you'll probably end up with your rail lodged in your ass. Pick one thing and think about it, take a deep breath and drop. These are the things that work for me, and my bruises don't go away as fast anymore.

If you are still freaked, there's one more trick. Imagine something really goofy and funny that you can get stuck in your mind. Imagine Tom Wallisch jumping onto a rail wearing pink fuzzy bunny slippers. It can be someone you know, but it has to be kind of weird and stupid; just something that will distract you from the rail.

Good luck and get it done.
 
I'm building a set up soon for this fall to get some pre season jibbing going and im sorta nervous.
 
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