alexandrews_mndec2010_blotto_0419
On a cold December evening in Minneapolis, Minnesota, our snowboarding crew located a ‘double bar gap double bar’ with a slight right posturing to deal with over two stair sets. I decided on a double exposure to coincide with the two handrails Alex Andrews would be dealing with while completing a ‘lipslide gap lipslide’ maneuver start to finish. The camera I was shooting with was the Nikon D3s, one of the first DSLR models to have a built in multi-exposure setting. After a few attempts, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with my double exposure capture, so I moved on to other angles. After the fact, Alex said he loved the photo and was stoked to have it in his collection, so it stayed in the keeper bin and I show it to you today. Photo: Blotto
When an architect sets out in designing a building, city park, overpass, or any other structure that includes public safety devices, never did it cross their minds that these long metal bars called handrails — sometimes square, sometimes round — would fuel an entire niche within snowboarding while influencing terrain parks worldwide. The handrail, in its simplest form, is the classic down-bar, a piece of metal running straight down a set of stairs used for pedestrian stability, and perfect for enthusiastic snowboarders. It was the early street-riding pioneers taking what they knew from skateboarding and applying it to the snowboarding process during the winter months that fueled a revolution. It’s absolutely incredible where it’s gone from there and hopefully this gallery shows you a little bit of that.
As a bonus, I included the trick names with each image, because you’ll get a kick out of saying them aloud, whether you’re the seasoned snowboarding veteran or an innocent bystander taking note of these freestyle fanatics risky life and limb in the name of fun and filling up video parts. Enjoy.
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