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This snowboarding maneuver is commonly referred to as a ‘roof to roof frontside boardslide,’ with the ‘roof to roof ‘ text describing the handrail placement and ‘frontside boardslide’ labeling the trick. If you know snowboarding well, it’s understood that saying “roof to roof” actually means “that thing is steep!” That’s the nature of an exterior handrail on top of a building connecting two levels, so you don’t need a lot of speed going into it and it’s a real dodgy situation trying to land said maneuver because you exit with lots of speed and the flat comes up really quick, but it’s possible and Keegan had it dialed after a few tries. 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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