Freestyle snowboarding involves performing tricks on manmade terrain features including rails, boxes and jumps. According to ABC-of-Snowboarding.com, 50/50 grinds, rock-n-roll grinds and five-o grinds are among the most common rail tricks. When snowboarding on rails, a few tips can get you started: adjust your board to a freestyle stance, practice the tricks on flat ground before trying them on rails and wear protective safety gear.
Stance
Adjust your snowboard bindings to a wide, centered, duck-foot stance. A wide, centered stance provides greater stability and board control than a narrow, set-back stance, reports the 360 Guide website. In addition, a duck-foot stance, with your toes facing different directions, is best for freestyle snowboarding; a + 15 degree angle on the front binding and a -15 degree angle on the back binding is a common set-up, says the site.
Practice
Practice snowboarding tricks including ollies, 180 degree ollies and wheelies on flat ground and boxes before attempting them on rails. Begin with a parallel grind called a 50/50 grind. Next perform a rock-n-roll grind by sliding with your board perpendicular to the box. Add trick variations such as riding a nose wheelie across the box, called a five-o grind, and trying 180 degree ollies onto and off of the box.
Safety
It is important to wear safety gear when freestyle snowboarding. Because crashes with rails and boxes in terrain parks can cause serious head injuries, you should wear a helmet when riding rails. According to the ABC-of-Snowboarding website, wrist injuries are the most common snowboarding injury and may be prevented by wearing wrist guards. Knee pads and hip pads can also help protect your body from injuries caused by forceful impacts.
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