# Tips for Rails



## Honey Badger (Nov 9, 2012)

Recently, I have been trying my hand at rails. I am able to comfortably ride all shapes of rails, and I am confortable on ride-ons, and cautiously comfortable on straight gap rails. 

BUT, I would really like to get into some handrails. What are some tips for those "side-ollie" hand rails? I have gotten a few sketch ones in tonight when I went out, but I also had a nasty scorpion-esque fall on a flat gapped rail, and I filleted the skin off of both shins. :dizzy: 

Overall, are there any tips for rails that more experienced riders can offer, such as the ollie on, approach, and getting off? That would be great to have here for the community.


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

Start out learning to ollie OVER the rail (or try this with gap boxes). Once you are comfortable doing that go to some flat gap boxes and learn to ollie onto them from the side. Pretend like you cant just hop straight onto it. Once you are able to ollie/hop onto the box from the side take it back to the rails, starting out with somewhat flat rails that aren't kinked. Still making sure you are able to clear over the rail with out any issues then you just adjust your jump a bit so you land in the middle of your board on the rail vs going over it.


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## dkzach (Jun 30, 2011)

continuously look to the end of the rail or even passed, all the way through the rail. I find if I focus to much on my board and my feet aka look down ill slide off. and dont think about "side" ollieing as much as your olling straight but at a very slight angle.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Are you 50/50'ing or boardslides? The approach is the same but i think learning to 50/50 first is easiest, just me.


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## SHREDDER97 (Aug 1, 2010)

First of all commit! Make sure when you hop onto the rail you look to the end of the rail. If you look t your feet you will bail.


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## alaric (Aug 28, 2007)

Honey Badger said:


> Recently, I have been trying my hand at rails.


This is overall your biggest problem. I've found that making contact to the rail with my snowboard works better than other parts of my body.

Committing is the biggest thing, in my opinion. You can't chicken out half way through. As another user suggested, make sure you can Ollie well. This may be better practiced on rollers in the terrain so you don't have to worry about clipping the rail.


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## Edge (Sep 30, 2012)

Commit commit and more commit. As soon as you olly on, look towards the end of the rail and don't try correct any mistakes. If you slide off, wait until you aren't touching the rail and then secure your landing. Keep your weight centered and DON'T use edges!


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

I like to approach maybe a board's width or so to the side of the rail and just before the takeoff i make a quick setup turn and point myself a narrow angle maybe 20-30 degrees towards the feature, pop off the lip, don't look at where you're want to land look at where you're going to dismount the rail (so, at the end or beyond), there's a tiny adjustment in the air, to keep yourself from continuing on that angled approach (and hence sliding off the rail to the side). 



Edge said:


> Commit commit and more commit. As soon as you olly on, look *towards the end of the rail* and *don't try correct any mistakes*. If you slide off, wait until you aren't touching the rail and then secure your landing. Keep your weight centered and DON'T use edges!


Thisthisthisthisthis :thumbsup:

Yep as others have said look to the end of the feature (or even beyond it) this keeps you upright and balanced, as opposed to what might be your instinct to look down between your feet to make sure you're locking on, but you'll *feel* whether you locked or not. 

If you don't *feel* it, and you'll know what this feels like if you're already comfortable on rails, you're off-center or off balance or whatever there's like a 1% chance you'll be able to correct it and about a 99% chance you'll end up eating shit if you try, so it's best to just let it roll and dismount gracefully.


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## Honey Badger (Nov 9, 2012)

All of this is extremely helpful. The problems I was/am having are:

Watching my feet, and I have a hard time telling myself I can "make the gap" in my head. Ollie-ing itself is difficult for me... I have a lot of heel lifting in my boots...


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## Efilnikufesin (Oct 8, 2011)

Honey Badger said:


> Recently, I have been trying my hand at rails. I am able to comfortably ride all shapes of rails, and I am confortable on ride-ons, and cautiously comfortable on straight gap rails.
> 
> BUT, I would really like to get into some handrails. What are some tips for those "side-ollie" hand rails? I have gotten a few sketch ones in tonight when I went out, but I also had a nasty scorpion-esque fall on a flat gapped rail, and I filleted the skin off of both shins. :dizzy:
> 
> Overall, are there any tips for rails that more experienced riders can offer, such as the ollie on, approach, and getting off? That would be great to have here for the community.



Why are you worried? Honey Badger don't give a shit!:


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## alaric (Aug 28, 2007)

Honey Badger said:


> All of this is extremely helpful. The problems I was/am having are:
> 
> Watching my feet, and I have a hard time telling myself I can "make the gap" in my head. Ollie-ing itself is difficult for me... I have a lot of heel lifting in my boots...


Then definitely try to invest in new boots. Get them fit in a store, don't buy online. Try different brands and styles as all fit a bit differently. Having properly fitting boots will help all of your riding as well as make it a touch easier to progress.


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

Honey Badger said:


> All of this is extremely helpful. The problems I was/am having are:
> 
> Watching my feet, and I have a hard time telling myself I can "make the gap" in my head. Ollie-ing itself is difficult for me... I have a lot of heel lifting in my boots...


dont worry if you cant actually ollie onto it. A simple hop works fine. Making the gap comes down to comitting to it, once you look at that feature and decide to hit it dont start second guessing yourself or thinking about what ifs, just do it as focused and as best you can. Looking down at your feet, just dont. Make sure you watch the end of the rail. In boarding if you look somewhere thats where you are going to go, so if you look at the end/beyond the end of the rail your body will begin to make the little movements and adjustments you need to keep you there.


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## Honey Badger (Nov 9, 2012)

Yeah, I ollied over it on accident on my first attempt. To describe the rail itself, it was a flat rail, about three inches wide. It was possible to ride-on, but it would shoot you in the air if you hit the front of the rail. But now I am getting the concept of just commitment. I speed checked way to much initially and then bombed the rest. Counter-intuitive, and I was staring at my feet... lol. I now have a point to begin with on monday...

Also, bonus to the Honey Badger clip. Honey Badger doesn't give a shit.


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