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This chilly Edmonton evening had us working at a stair set that ran from a highway crossing bridge to a bus stop on a the street, a spot that provided the potential for a semi-technical ‘gap over to boardslide.’ The run-in was pitched slightly to the right while the rail was angled just to the left end-to-end. Under most circumstances, the takeoff is placed exactly in line with obstacle, so the snowboarder will have no problem locking in between the bindings while landing on the handrail centered, but there were numerous obstructions in the run-in that prevented a straight line into the rail. After a few scary moments shooting off in the wrong direction (into the stairs) on his initial attempts, Ethan figured how to commit his body just off kilter, land and ride away with a solid shot. 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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