Snowboarders use boxes and rails to work a few tricks and special moves into their rides. However, neither rails nor boxes occur naturally in a snowy mountain setting. You need to set up a rail or box safely before you can start doing tricks. Sometimes, boxes and rails refer to the same thing — with flat-topped boxes stretched out like thick rails.
Rails
Much like a skateboarder might use a rail to grind or slide along for a short distance, so, too, can a snowboarder ride a rail. However, unlike a skateboarder's urban environment, rails don't crop up too often on a mountainside. Instead, riders build rails using smooth metal or plastic pipes. Sometimes, ski resorts have dedicated rails and boxes built near the club. Some boarders also use rails attached to buildings near the resort. However, in many cases thin pipes are too dangerous and unstable for use for even the most talented snowboarders.
Boxes
Boxes are effectively thickened rails. Instead of a pipe-style line, boxes have flat tops, sometimes several feet wide. The boxes are embedded into a snow bank or as part of a trick course. This enables you to use them in a number of ways — from simple jump obstacles to long tracks for grinding, sliding and spinning. Boxes are popular with many boarders worldwide. Special events dedicated to box riding, such as "Boxes for Days," celebrate the skills of box trick boarders.
Tricks
Basic tricks to try on a rail or box include the 50-50 or the frontside boardslide, according to snowboard website Afterbang. A 50-50 means simply riding right over the top of the box or rail facing forward the entire time. It means keeping your balance evenly distributed and jumping off the end. The frontside boardslide involves sliding along the box top, but only with the front half of the board. The back half sticks out horizontal to the box so you're traveling sideways. You must lean your weight forward to keep the board stable on the box.
Considerations
Boxes and rails generally aren't suitable for beginner riders. The flat, greasy box surface or smooth rail can send a boarder skidding off the top. At the same time, balancing on a box or rail is a little different from traveling over snow. You have to keep your own center of balance on the board, without pushing too much weight on the front or back of the board.
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