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Help With down rails and kinks?
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This year is my first year free skiing and I rarely can get on to down rails successfully, I always slip out or slid off right when I get on. Everyone says to lean downhill but I can't figure it out. All of my friends get on to down rails easily and they learned then in one day while I have been struggling with them all season? any help!?
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go skateboarding in transition (miniramps and stuff). its about the closest thing balance-wise to sliding a rail at whatever angle. skating switch helped me with right foot forward slides so much that i barely even have a preference anymore
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also, stop thinking about it so much. all the exact same principles apply as when you slide a flat rail. pop, land wide stance (think gorilla steeze) 55% on back foot 45% of weight on front foot and look at the end of the rail. i'm guessing your scared so you pop on with all your weight on your back foot and don't commit to actually sliding the rail all the way so you slip out. its 99% mental, so turn off your brain, commit, and look at the end of the rail and the rest should fall into place.
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yeah
jump on like normal with a wide stance, and gorilla stance a little bit with your weight downhill
make sure you turn your skis completely perpendicular to the rail and think about catching the rail right under the balls of your feet and keeping it there
jump as little as is necessary to get on the rail, otherwise youre gonna be coming down with more force than you need (and maybe more than you can handle at your level)
for kinks (assuming youre talking about a downkink, for instance a flat to down rail) do all of the above but right as you get to the kink, push your weight and feet down the way you would pumping a transition so you stay on the rail and don't fly off/over it
most importantly, like this dude said, look at the end of the rail. as with most active things, your body goes where youre looking
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It can also help to think about getting on the rail as if you just had sneakers on. Pretend you have soap shoes on. You want to jump on top of the rail and fully commit to being on it. You may not notice it but if you're at all hesitant it will cause you to lean one way or another and slip off immediately.
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one of the top 3 moments of my skiing life was watching that dude fall off a rail i had just fallef off of...."so he is human. cool"
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Lean forward, look at the end of the rail, and with kinks bend your knees as you slide over them.
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listen to this kid. hes pro.
as seen at :25 and 1:03
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Haha that made my day. You think that edit should go up on NS?
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THis year was also my first. Just pop onto the rail 90 on, land with your boots on the rail, try to evenly distribute the weight. Then just kneel down, it makes you less likely to fall off.
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BITCH PLZ. I hope to once be good enough to upload an edit to newschoolers.
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Straight up this. Its all about the commitment of. Turning on then keeping your feet and shoulders wide. Make sure you dont lean too far back just like learning how to slide in the first place, keep your weight even ya know
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That was actually my favorite edit I've seen in a while. Dead serious I have no idea why
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Maybe I'll consider uploading it haha.
All times are Eastern (-5)
but seriously hes right.