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Who invented sliding rails?

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NickSkisGood
Posts: 70 - Karma: 863
I've been thinking back to the history of our sport, and if I'm not mistaken surfing is the og sport that evolved into skateboarders ripping up backyard pools. Skateboarding and skateparks (and snowboarders) seems like the obvious reason we have rails and features on the mountain.
But were urban street skaters in the 80-90s really the first to hop and a rail? Maybe we gotta give more credit to froot booting inline skaters as being forerunners to modern park skiing. Or maybe some old timey skier in your grandfather's era used to impress the ladies skiing a picnic table or down a wooden handrail. Or did Tom Wallisch just invent sliding rails when he started the universe with the big afterbang?
Jan 4 2022 2:49AM
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Icant_kfed
Posts: 1274 - Karma: 11,509
They want us to thibk that k2 started park skiing but really it was t wall
Jan 4 2022 7:11AM
30 1
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CatdickBojangles
Posts: 6183 - Karma: 62,663
The first skier to slide a rail was Sonny Bono. They were so angry when they saw him do it they killed him and made it look like an accident.
Jan 4 2022 8:08AM
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r00kie
Posts: 5238 - Karma: 59,559
Pretty sure it was skierman but Idk.
Jan 4 2022 8:12AM
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ski_salmon69
Posts: 1727 - Karma: 25,917
I did it first, they just didn’t have the cameras on
Jan 4 2022 8:21AM
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WoFlowz
Posts: 7782 - Karma: 63,853
It was actually Isaac Freeland
Jan 4 2022 8:49AM
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_IRRELEVANT_
Posts: 944 - Karma: 4,423
Jan 4 2022 8:53AM
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jakeordie
Posts: 661 - Karma: 3,263
Gonz and Natas
Jan 4 2022 9:51AM
4 1
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pofwel
Posts: 86 - Karma: -139
NickSkisGoodI've been thinking back to the history of our sport, and if I'm not mistaken surfing is the og sport that evolved into skateboarders ripping up backyard pools. Skateboarding and skateparks (and snowboarders) seems like the obvious reason we have rails and features on the mountain.
But were urban street skaters in the 80-90s really the first to hop and a rail? Maybe we gotta give more credit to froot booting inline skaters as being forerunners to modern park skiing. Or maybe some old timey skier in your grandfather's era used to impress the ladies skiing a picnic table or down a wooden handrail. Or did Tom Wallisch just invent sliding rails when he started the universe with the big afterbang?


probably came from skating idk
Jan 4 2022 10:45AM
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switchlip2
Posts: 1937 - Karma: 23,653
Nateshredz
Jan 4 2022 10:54AM
17 3
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CammyP
Posts: 20 - Karma: 130
me :)
Jan 4 2022 11:47AM
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Dan-Man
Posts: 7485 - Karma: 3,613
skateboarderz
Jan 4 2022 12:26PM
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MarkusFin
Posts: 366 - Karma: 2,620
It's ingrained in our DNA.
Jan 4 2022 12:28PM
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HaydenB
Posts: 1072 - Karma: 8,133
someone told me it was @Jems back in the day but I'm not sure
Jan 4 2022 1:48PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5213 - Karma: 20,290
jakeordieGonz and Natas


you could get into semantics and argue what actually constitutes a rail, I’m sure some skier 50-50d a snow covered log before the early 80s, but yeah these 2 are probably the right answer
Jan 4 2022 2:01PM
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gfanuckaa
Posts: 536 - Karma: 314
Line originally made ski boards which was in the x games before freestyle skiing, we are all really ski boarders
Jan 4 2022 3:37PM
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@LANTASKI
Posts: 599 - Karma: 1,586
Maybe some of the other old heads can contribute to educate you Gen Z shits, but I believe the first documented "rail slide" or "grind" was published in Freeze Magazine in 1998 or 1999. It was an urban handrail and I believe it was either Mike Nick or Skogan Sprang who did it.

If JD May is still around, I'm sure he would remember it
Jan 4 2022 3:37PM
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gfanuckaa
Posts: 536 - Karma: 314
gfanuckaaLine originally made ski boards which was in the x games before freestyle skiing, we are all really ski boarders


https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1008262/Skiboarding---2000-X-Games---Full-TV-Broadcast
Jan 4 2022 3:41PM
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nkloss4
Posts: 67 - Karma: 703
from what i can find the first documented picture was @JLev hitting an urban rail on the og line skiboards

https://www.google.com/amp/s/jasonlevinthal.com/1998/11/01/first-photo-of-skier-sliding-rail/amp/
Jan 4 2022 5:09PM
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@LANTASKI
Posts: 599 - Karma: 1,586
nkloss4from what i can find the first documented picture was @JLev hitting an urban rail on the og line skiboards

https://www.google.com/amp/s/jasonlevinthal.com/1998/11/01/first-photo-of-skier-sliding-rail/amp/


yup this is it ^
Jan 4 2022 5:24PM
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Logi
Posts: 388 - Karma: 3,870
this monolith slid the first rail
Jan 4 2022 11:06PM
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NickSkisGood
Posts: 70 - Karma: 863
Ski Boarding looks dope as hell! Thanks for the video this is the critical historical context, or "missing link", I was looking for. That JLev rail shot is sick too!
I finally shook the rust of my old snowblades recently and took em ripping those things are too fun! (Not that it's about size anyway but my snowblades are way shorter than those ski boards)
gfanuckaahttps://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1008262/Skiboarding---2000-X-Games---Full-TV-Broadcast
Jan 5 2022 12:22AM
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FruitBootPro
Posts: 2992 - Karma: 12,908
NickSkisGoodBut were urban street skaters in the 80-90s really the first to hop and a rail? Maybe we gotta give more credit to froot booting inline skaters as being forerunners to modern park skiing.

First documented rail grind on blades was done by Chris Edwards in 1991. Skateboarders were probably doing it earlier (or not idk), but this was definitely the first rail grind done with the same overall motion as on skis. I'm not sure if the first skibladers just derived skiing grinds from this or what.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1025313/Vertical-Axis---First-Rail-Grind-1991
Jan 5 2022 1:34AM
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jakeordie
Posts: 661 - Karma: 3,263
a_burgeryou could get into semantics and argue what actually constitutes a rail, I’m sure some skier 50-50d a snow covered log before the early 80s, but yeah these 2 are probably the right answer

I hear you, but everything before happened less deliberately. A skier or a surfer or a pool skater got there just shredding, even lip tricks on a halfpipe with metal coping are a natural evolution of basic moves like a kickturn. Gonz and Natas made the choice to start sliding rails, and then started making it happen.

It might seem like semantics, but it's a quantum leap in approaching freestyle activities as performance art. Terrain parks will never be a blank canvas, even when Red Bull builds stuff for Jesper 'cos the feature is tailored for the trick. Gonz and Natas made street work the other way.

Sorry for ranting.
Jan 5 2022 1:59AM
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Lippamani
Posts: 1272 - Karma: 13,200
It was the afterbang
Jan 5 2022 10:28AM
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MarkusFin
Posts: 366 - Karma: 2,620
FruitBootProFirst documented rail grind on blades was done by Chris Edwards in 1991. Skateboarders were probably doing it earlier (or not idk), but this was definitely the first rail grind done with the same overall motion as on skis. I'm not sure if the first skibladers just derived skiing grinds from this or what.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1025313/Vertical-Axis---First-Rail-Grind-1991


Wow dude, that whole movie was super cool to watch even though I don't blade
Jan 15 2022 8:18PM
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