Homemade Rails for Snowboarding

A new set of snowboarding rails can put a new spin on the hill you've been boarding on, and inject some new life into runs which may be beginning to feel routine or boring. Building your own rails allows you to save money while tailoring the rails to your personal needs as well.

  1. Planning Your Rail

    • Failing to properly plan out your rail is both costly and, more importantly, potentially dangerous. Before any construction of your rail is undertaken, it is important that you know exactly what your goals are for your rail, and what sort of railing system you need to create to achieve this. If you are going to be placing your rail on a hill, then you will not be needing a launching device, as your hill will provide you with all of the speed and momentum you need. If you will be building your rail on a flat surface, however, you will also need to construct a launching ramp to help you gain momentum to make it across the length of the rail without falling over.

      It is also important that you decide on the type of railing you will be creating. There are several options for the actual surface of the rail, including wooden four-by-fours, narrow metal piping or PVC piping. You will also have to determine the shape of the railing. The most simple railing to ride will run straight along your route, however, more advanced riders may want to attempt to ride a rail which bends left or right as it progresses. Finally you must decide upon the vertical shape of your ramp. Again, a straight ramp is the simplest form, however you may want to try a tiered ramp, which has a combination of flats, inclines and declines, if you have a sufficient hill to accommodate the required speed, and the riders will be of sufficient technical ability to ride it.

    Setting Up Your Rail

    • Once you have planned out the dimensions and shape of your rail, you are ready to build it. Construct a wooden base in the shape of the railing that you can attach the actual railing to. The wooden base will help provide your railing with some much-needed stability when the time comes to set it up on the mountain, as well as the ability to ensure that the railing doesn't get pushed down into the snow by the weight of a rider as they snowboard across it. This is also a good time to build a launch ramp, if you need one, by creating a wooden wedge high enough to create the momentum to cross the rail.

      Once your railing has been attached to the wooden base, you are ready to set it up on your hill. Place your railing where you want to slide on it, and begin packing snow around it. You will want to ensure there is ample snow along either side of the rail. This will serve both to stabilize the railing and to provide cushioning should you fall off the rail in either direction. You will also want to have a snow lead-in and runout, as well as a healthy packing of snow along your launch ramp. If your yard has lots of snow, none of this will be a problem. If you received a lighter sprinkling, it's time to get out a shovel and move snow from throughout your yard. While a fully white yard may be aesthetically pleasing, all you need to ride your rail is a path of snow leading into and out of the ramp, so ensuring you have that is most important. Once your rail is laid and your snow is set in place, you're ready to start riding your homemade rail.