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~Tips On Hopping Onto Flat Bar/Handrail From The Side ++K For hellp :(

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mgraham
Posts: 518 - Karma: 19
Hello NS, i need some tips on how to get onto a handrail/ flat bar from the side. Every time i go to get on my feet slide right out from under neath me and i eat the rail. Just wondering if i should do something different. ++++K for Good Tips !!!~!!!~

Cheers,
Mack
Jan 26 2011 6:22PM
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hendriab
Posts: 990 - Karma: 404
a buddy of mine has this problem.  get on and look at the very end of the rail / where your landing is.  then your head will be in the right direction, and your weight will be a bit forward.  then try to keep your weight evenly between your two skis.  and try to step on it w your inside ski first, then bring your second one around.  i hope that helps, its how i do it. 
Jan 26 2011 6:25PM
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
don't think about it too much if it's a big easy lip, just keep your feet spread shoulder width and jump on.

if youre scared, just take the amount of speed you think you'll need in and just hit the jump and land next to the rail to get a feel for what kind of speed/pop you need.

then when you do it, just give a nice hard pop with both your feet and hop on the rail, keeping your weight forward, your eyes on the end of the rail, and your feet shoulder width apart
Jan 26 2011 6:27PM
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idskithat
Posts: 1314 - Karma: 154
doesnt look as good when you step on, just pop with both feet
Jan 26 2011 6:28PM
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Ski_ThEast
Posts: 1676 - Karma: 272
i heard stepping on is a bad habbit i used to do that but now i pop

Jan 26 2011 6:31PM
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panojibber
Posts: 3382 - Karma: 216
Don't step on, pop on.

And if you're falling over its (probably) because you're leaning on your back foot. Put more weight on your front foot.

Also, look at the end of the rail at all times.
Jan 26 2011 7:11PM
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mgraham
Posts: 518 - Karma: 19
Thanks a ton guys ! So basically i just gotta hop on with confidence and look towards the end of the rail. I just feel as though on the down rails the flat bars, you get so much speed, and whenever i try to get on i slide right out under my feet especially when i pop.
Jan 26 2011 7:12PM
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kvan
Posts: 3085 - Karma: 1,225
just hop on like you would with a straight on but pick your tips up
Jan 26 2011 7:13PM
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kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
Don't put too much weight on your front foot, sticky rails, DFD's, and corrugated's will anally ram you if you do, happened to me the other night. It hurts. A lot.
Jan 26 2011 7:16PM
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K_Carter
Posts: 583 - Karma: 58
yah i step on too, i feel like it can look way smoother if u do it right and glide on
Jan 26 2011 7:19PM
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mr.k2
Posts: 504 - Karma: 156
keep a good base and then make sure when you get on the rail make sure you lock. i lean forward but thats just me. But keeping a good base is number one. And if stepping on works for you well then do it. And if it all fails just keep on trying, you can never get to much practice.
Jan 26 2011 7:23PM
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mgraham
Posts: 518 - Karma: 19
ha true say man, but i mean i screw my self every time i hit it.
Jan 26 2011 7:35PM
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esjaydee
Posts: 1696 - Karma: 365
You got it man, I always used to have trouble with the speed too, just try to get a little bit more speed then you would for say a box or a flat rail. Just keep trying different speeds, you'll get it. But look at the end of the rail is the best tip you can get for any rail.
Feb 7 2011 10:43AM
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ThirstyThursday
Posts: 29 - Karma: 10
Have a good approach angle from the rail, if you come in at too much of an angle then you are just gonna slide right off the other side of the rail
Feb 7 2011 11:54AM
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^BEANS^
Posts: 624 - Karma: 248
when your on the rail use your back foot for balence and use your front foot to "steer" and keep you on the rail
Feb 7 2011 1:32PM
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remster
Posts: 898 - Karma: 261
just remember to lean foward a bit more-always helps.
and use your front foot to control and back foot for balance
i know thats a lot to think about but good luck
Feb 7 2011 1:54PM
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willy_baller
Posts: 1622 - Karma: 693
just about every thing has been said. a lot of people think that they have to land hard when they pop, which is not true. get a solid pop off the jump and land softly on the rail, one thing that can help is trying to make as little noise as possible from the landing on the rail.
Feb 7 2011 2:00PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
The biggest problem with rails is not centering your weight. Either not enough weight on your front ski (land on hip) or weight is not over the rail (slip off early). It sounds like your problem is the later.

you should focus on getting your weight above the rail before your skis even hit it. on 95% of rails you can be directly over the rail before your skis touch it. The other 5% you actually have to basically hit it from the side and then try to balance, this is way harder.

Here is how to get onto a handrail:

Come in straight towards the rail, on the jump you can turn slightly towards the rail if you have to. Pop, but you will have to pop slightly more off your outside foot to get you over the rail. Here is the important part. Make sure your body is over the rail. If you are sliding off on your tips end, you are not comitting to getting that weight over the rail, if you are sliding off your tail end, you are jumping over too much. Now just land on the rail with your weight shifted according to the angle of the rail (flat bar 60/40, steep down like 100 front foot)
Feb 7 2011 3:32PM
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DGski
Posts: 3491 - Karma: 2,328
go faster than usual so you dont have to pop as much, your problem may be the popping on part which is making you lean back
Feb 7 2011 3:38PM
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TheHuggyBear
Posts: 1762 - Karma: 313
omg backside swaps have been raping my ass because of this for some reason
Feb 7 2011 3:40PM
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Matty_K
Posts: 575 - Karma: 222
I keep my head turned towards the end of the rail and kinda find the balance point, rails are very easy once you're able to lock onto them. I also go a tiny bit faster then I normally would for any other rail, it's alot about confidence, because if you're not trying to get the whole rail, your not trying.
Feb 7 2011 3:42PM
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butter161
Posts: 111 - Karma: 12
this is pretty damn good advice, and i have almost no problems with it except the percentages of weight shift, i usaully try to land with about equal pressure on both feet no matter what (ill say the flat bar percentages are close enough). for a steep down rail i find the key is more to landing with both feet at the same time and less about forward pressure, especially on urbans because they are often accompanied by a donkey dick in which case ive found forward pressure makes you eat shit.
Feb 7 2011 5:31PM
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AWALLRUS.
Posts: 5762 - Karma: 223
i had to learn how to hit rails like this cause there was 1 rail at my hill and it was about a foot above the kicker. just put your uphill foot on first and then lock on
Feb 7 2011 5:33PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
ok maybe 100% was an exageration, but really I think especially when learning it is better to focus on more weight on front foot. As for the donkey dick (never heard that name haha) that's why you gotta ABSORB.
Feb 7 2011 6:09PM
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StompinStraights
Posts: 136 - Karma: 32

Balance balanca balance! If your learning, widen your stance a little before you land on the rail but not too much or else if you slip, theres a higher chance that youll nut yourself.

Lots of good advice on here that's been posted, keep practicing man

Feb 7 2011 6:27PM
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tim_b
Posts: 67 - Karma: 10
wow...this whole thread actually helped me alot
Feb 7 2011 6:31PM
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.jon
Posts: 2121 - Karma: 345
1. Go up to the rail with one ski on the left of the rail and one on the right.

2. Jump directly upwards.

3. Spread Eagle!

4. Cry for hours.
Feb 7 2011 6:39PM
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cooper.fry
Posts: 2229 - Karma: 34
practice. hike if you have to.
Feb 7 2011 6:51PM
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esjaydee
Posts: 1696 - Karma: 365
the tip that really stepped my game up and helped me slide the entire rail and not slide off is to approach the rail from the side with the outside of your left foot on the inside of the rail. if that makes sense. (that is only if you are spinning left onto the rail) dont approach the rail from the side and jump over onto the rail. ♛ good luck homie.
Feb 8 2011 8:42AM
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Shifties4Dayz
Posts: 1657 - Karma: 553
lean downhill
Feb 8 2011 9:02AM
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Lord.Quasimoto
Posts: 958 - Karma: 33
no such thing - DONT step on
Feb 8 2011 1:59PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,014
stepping on is a bad habit to have, totally kills your ability to pop, which if you're hitting any significant rail with a small lip, you're fucked
Feb 8 2011 2:04PM
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mgraham
Posts: 518 - Karma: 19
i've tried this 25 times, bailed every time my feet are sliding out because im being a pussy and not leaning forward :(
Feb 8 2011 2:16PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
pop on. stepping on is whack. and it will just perpetuate you slipping out.
Feb 8 2011 4:22PM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9215 - Karma: 5,398
it you're talking about urban setups right? probably from rollerblading, but I have no trouble whatsoever jumping onto urbans. it helps if you don't approach the rail diagonally, cause then some of your force is going to be going off the rail, you want it all to be used to go down the rail. so come at it straight but a little to to the side and jump on. you're gonna land down the rail somewhere.

anyone ever approach and urban straight on? like you would nut yourself if you kept going. I want to try that and jump high enough that i can pull my skis up, go sideways and grind.
Feb 8 2011 4:29PM
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 467
haha what's a donkey dick?
Mar 24 2011 10:29PM
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 467
what helps me is remembering all the times i fell, and realizing that they never actually hurt that bad.
Mar 24 2011 10:32PM
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Emma_Watson
Posts: 4491 - Karma: 6,795
I compare all the times i fell to all the times i landed something new. I'll take a few falls to get that feeling of stomping something sick.
Mar 24 2011 10:56PM
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Jpurd
Posts: 3196 - Karma: 3,554
when i was learning to do down rails or rails you need to get on the side from i would jump over them from the side you wanted to get on. This gives you an idea of the speed and it is basically the same motion... same thing for 270s. I would do ones over the rail which is similar to a 270 on.
Mar 24 2011 11:05PM
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alexg1687
Posts: 1505 - Karma: 1,581
im not going to give any technical advice because a lot of the stuff here is awesome and they probably know how to do it better than i do. but there is the issue of confidence. when i learned i kept thinking i'd need a heap of speed and if i didn't then id hit the rail and die. its not really true. you'd be surprised how slowly you can go when learning and still make it onto the rail. i found that helped me a lot with confidence. then you realise (really quickly actually) that more speed makes it a heap easier and the whole thing flows a lot more. after a while i realised i was landing half way down the rail so i deliberately slowed myself down a bit and worked on the technique again. long story short, don't be scared of it....it takes balls but just like a 360 it gets easier and easier and easier.
Mar 25 2011 9:33AM
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petrov
Posts: 144 - Karma: 105
Just posting to say that step ons are gay. Avoid that shit like the plague
Mar 25 2011 5:07PM
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Shenanigans
Posts: 868 - Karma: 455
I do sometimes, it helps a little bit for staying on since you have zero momentum pushing you off to the side of the rail
Mar 25 2011 5:13PM
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0ggzy
Posts: 123 - Karma: 33
Hop on and lean towards th opposite side to the side you've hopped onto and than LEAN ON YOUR FRONT FOOT, very important, or it hurts like a bitch
Mar 25 2011 5:14PM
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TBreso
Posts: 468 - Karma: 52

My advice, like many others is to get your weight centered! to be centered and ballanced, YOU NEED TO WANT TO SLIDE THAT WHOLE RAIL. if your thinking in your head "ill do my best and maybe do half the rail" you wont commit and slip off early or slip out and eat the rail in the ribs.

tell yourself "im gonna make that whole rail" and when hopping on you will almost certainly do it right by getting centered on the rail.

i used to suck at rails, but i built up some confidence this year and tried trickyer rails, and now i can stomp multiple kink rails for the simple reason that i have confidence in my ability.

good luck!

Mar 25 2011 9:44PM
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Chompo.
Posts: 4952 - Karma: 88
Put more weight on you front foot and look at the end of the rail.
Mar 25 2011 10:31PM
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derpina
Posts: 2186 - Karma: 55
I know all about this on DFD's. 2 1/2 pints of blood in my side and a broken pelvis later I found out the hard way.
Mar 25 2011 10:42PM
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