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I find it quite entertaining, even after all of these years shooting in the streets; how snowboarders utilize every type of handrail that was designed and implemented in the name of public safety; for freestyle snowboarding. Take this standard set of stairs on the backside of a strip mall in Anchorage, Alaska, which is used on a daily basis for deliveries and cigarette breaks. For us, we see them hosting freestyle maneuvers in the wee-hours of the morning for guys like Ethan Deiss, who prefer a ‘nosepress fronside 270 to downbar’ to a Marlboro Light at 3pm. 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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