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June, 2025

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Handrail Help

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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
So lately I've decided I wanted to progress my riding a little more than stay behind the camera and watch my friends do so. I'm so used to just hopping onto boxes and doing some small things, but I'd love to be able to upgrade to handrails (park ones, not urban).
Anyway, I had some friends over for a setup session in my backyard (we still don't have snow) and I we set up a small handrail and I kept trying to get onto it, but I couldn't get down and to be honest, I just felt unprepared.
So NS, I come to you to figure out how to properly hop onto a decent handrail. I figured you just lean back and kinda throw your body and tips to the side that the rail is on, but it isn't working out.

Sparknotes: How the fuck do you hop onto a park handrail properly?
14 years ago
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theabortionator
Posts: 52710 - Karma: 175,327
are you talking about a rail settup urban?
14 years ago
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rareison
Posts: 10263 - Karma: 219
Threads, I want to learn this to.
14 years ago
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
No, I mean like simple handrails in the park. Like a down bar. As amateur as it sounds, I want to know how to properly hop onto one. I've never really cared to get it down until now because I was always filming.
14 years ago
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JaayLaay
Posts: 939 - Karma: 89
When i first started handrails, i stepped on. Literally. Say your approaching the rail from the right side (which is my natural side). You bring your left foot up and quickly have your right foot follow. Don't lean back to much or you will slip out and take it to your hip and elbows. That's the way I was taught.
14 years ago
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Cotter
Posts: 2546 - Karma: 849
yeah i had the same problem last year

first step: just try hopping on you would regularly just try to get more pop, it will be scary at first but there is a high chance you wont catch on the rail

now once your comfortable doing this
Step 2: try stepping on to the rail it will be a little harder to balance at first but you'll get used to it
Step 3: try just popping on now, like ollie on. and once you can do this it will look so sick and then you'll be ready for rail tricks
14 years ago
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DBL
Posts: 1405 - Karma: 2,218
.
14 years ago
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Cotter
Posts: 2546 - Karma: 849
this^ i did that first try stepping onto it. but never again after
14 years ago
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.R-Lohin
Posts: 1686 - Karma: 117
I did this all last season, not knowing it help. Then found out this season it looks gay so I stopped. before I thought it looked steezy.
14 years ago
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JaayLaay
Posts: 939 - Karma: 89
It might not be steezy but it gets the job done until you learn how to pop onto rails.
14 years ago
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 464
turn a full 90 on. don't come up to it at a huge 45 degree angle. If you have proper speed, you can get away with coming up to it at a 25 degree angle. lean a little bit towards the side you jumped on to counter the angle, and watch the end of the rail. You'l have it in no time. Again, speed is key.
14 years ago
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 464
Also, don't even bother learning to step on. Work also on getting to the end, and not riding off early even though it's almost the same as getting the whole thing. Like I said this before, if you spin a full 90 on, you'll stay on to the end better.
14 years ago
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Njens.
Posts: 1688 - Karma: 46
you just kinda hop on.
14 years ago
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roddy116
Posts: 10662 - Karma: 7,805
just go up to it at a straight line no angle, jump on and lean back just a bit, and dont flail your hands
14 years ago
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CashmereCat
Posts: 2211 - Karma: 2,395
Pro tip: make sure the idiot techs at the place your skis got mounted didnt set the din at 3. I once made the mistake of not checking....
14 years ago
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whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,105
totally awesome story:

i kept getting off this rail early last saturday, but this one time i hit it when i had dubstep playing, the drop in the song happened just as i hopped on and i greased it. it felt epic, you should all try this
14 years ago
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207
Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,852
idk if u mean urban on rails (in the park) like jumps from the sides but not a jump in the middle or just regular down rails.

If you're talking about urban down rails, go at it from the comfortable side with enough speed and you'll naturally angle yourself, if you commit you're fine. I've never hit a regular down rail, they don't have them over here.
14 years ago
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,018
don't learn by stepping on, it's a bad habit and it looks like shit
14 years ago
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.RYAN66
Posts: 5381 - Karma: 225
best advice, even to this day i screw up when i go to slow, i used to always think when i was learning rails and boxes for that matter that you want to go slower to have more control, but i found it to be so much smoother with speed.

also i think it would be beneficial to learn how to step on and pop on, that way you know how to do both, i learned them by stepping on but once it gets higher you can step so it forced me to learn how to hop on and now i can do both.
14 years ago
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alexg1687
Posts: 1505 - Karma: 1,582
You know how people say for a normal rail make sure most of your weight is on the front foot, or at the very least evenly spread between both feet? Its never more important than on a down rail. Just make sure you get that downhill ski onto the rail and you'll be fine.

Truth be told you'll probably stack first go, but when that happens pick your stuff up and run straight back up and give it another go. You'll stomp it.
14 years ago
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DLAM
Posts: 341 - Karma: 38
I'm probably not the best person to give advice but I was at this stage not long a go. I got confidence by jumping over the rail, sideways. If I could make it like that I knew I wouldn't catch my tips or anything like that.

It's all confidence. Remember that if you commit you have a better chance of getting it and even if you fall it won't hurt that bad. Just hop on and you'll probably fall off a couple times. You're not going to get better by trying it a couple times then saying you're not there yet.
14 years ago
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.R-Lohin
Posts: 1686 - Karma: 117
I know what you mean man, listen to this.
14 years ago
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d00d
Posts: 2687 - Karma: 7,088
I learned this after a couple times of just hitting rails in general that you want to keep a good firm stance with your feet shoulder width apart and get speed. If your feet are wobbly and your nervous about hitting the rail then you will mess up you just need to pump yourself up like what the guy ^ above said and good luck.
14 years ago
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,494
Speed is your friend. If you come in with the right amount of speed you barely even have to pop. It almost just sets you onto the rail.
14 years ago
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Whaley
Posts: 712 - Karma: 24
This ^^^^^^^
14 years ago
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.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,791
I just man up and go on. I clear down a ways though. Round rails are easier. btw.
14 years ago
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Guck
Posts: 528 - Karma: 221
I was always confused on rails. are you supposed to go straight at it with a wide stance and pompon
14 years ago
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Guck
Posts: 528 - Karma: 221
pop on* or come from either the right or left and kind of jump from the side?
14 years ago
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 464
if it's a ride on rail, have one foot on each side. If it's a handrail, come on from the side
14 years ago
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,494
I always come on from the side. Having one foot on each side looks and feels funny imo
14 years ago
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benyannelli
Posts: 773 - Karma: 562
im just starting to get some this year. what iv been doing is kinda just going for it. trying to stay forward or it could be really easy to slide out. I would also say its really about commitment. if you go into it thinking your gonna own it you most likely can
14 years ago
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TACO-DOG.exe
Posts: 11990 - Karma: 12,273
imagine there's a ski pole right in the middle of the lip. be perfectly centered with pole as you're coming up and pop at the right, you know the rest.
14 years ago
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Kevski
Posts: 7056 - Karma: 2,788
The one thing I can't stress enough is to not come in at too much of an angle unless you're prepared to lean super hard the other way to compensate. I like to come in pretty much parallel to the rail, and close to the side with a wide stance, then just kinda hop my weight over it and slide looking at the end of the rail like everyone has said. You also don't need near as much speed for downrails/boxes, and it feels kinda awesome to pop onto them really slow and pick up speed sliding the feature. That'll give you better balance too because you're on the rail for way longer.
14 years ago
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