Member of the Month

abjectwoe
May, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Let’s discuss PVC

profile picture
EternalJens
Posts: 569 - Karma: 514
Are pvc tubes the airbags of rail skiing or are they legit? What do you guys think?
a month ago
5 8
profile picture
hi_vis360
Posts: 5328 - Karma: 55,310
Naw dude. Air bags are an extremely expensive facility that are only accessible to a select few. PVC tubes are more accessible than actually going to the ski hill. They slide very different from metal but IMO having good rail skiing fundamentals means being able to slide a variety of materials so not just metal but also plastic, concrete, and wood
a month ago
24 0
profile picture
sam_skis_snow
Posts: 67 - Karma: 496
I agree. I would say they are easily different from metal rails, but that fact does not mean it is a negative. I would compare it to sliding metal in the street. It might be different then riding a manicured feature in the park, but trying to ride out on grass/turf has its disadvantages. You could say that pvc is slightly better to fall on and because of the lower fiction point, it makes it easier to "train" on. But its biggest advantage is that pvc is something you can hit all year round. As for seeing pvc in parks, I think that's cool. Usually it's at a mountain that can't afford/has the time to find a large metal tube. And anything that give people a stepping stone to improve their skiing is cool in my books
a month ago
6 1
profile picture
sam_skis_snow
Posts: 67 - Karma: 496
Not to sabotage the thread onto a different topic, but I heard this comment in the parks more than a handful of times this year. "Are large tubes the new box feature?"
a month ago
9 0
profile picture
je_t.aime_canard
Posts: 603 - Karma: 7,327
sam_skis_snowNot to sabotage the thread onto a different topic, but I heard this comment in the parks more than a handful of times this year. "Are large tubes the new box feature?"


big tubes are more fun than boxes, and when i started, they were honestly easier to hit
a month ago
9 0
profile picture
johnblaze
Posts: 1544 - Karma: 2,856
Airbags. Learn to drill through metal.
a month ago
1 6
profile picture
dshiland
Posts: 226 - Karma: 1,516
I have PVC rails in my backyard I made my self, cant say the same about an airbag but maybe im just a poor
a month ago
1 0
profile picture
Dlonetti
Posts: 1999 - Karma: 21,473
i think maybe some like nbd swap combos done on pvc are less valid than if it was on a park feature cuz you can kinda build pvc specifically for like dub 3 swap and stuff.

but look at geilo i bet everyone on this site would want to ski there
a month ago
6 0
profile picture
streetskier95
Posts: 39 - Karma: 729
pvc tubes are the best to learn tricks, but if you have a trick down you need to be able to do it on a skinny rail. As it's been said, tubes are the new boxes. I really liked tubes a few years ago but getting tired of them honestly. You can also see skiers who stricly ski tubes, their pretzels or locks onto rails are not as precise
a month ago
1 2
profile picture
deadhead420
Posts: 2110 - Karma: 18,551
idk high quality PVC like that C900 or other ultra hard pvc or whatever the fuck gileoparken uses slides just as good as metal imo. most kids are using that poo poo schedule 40 irrigation pipe or electrical conduct. So kids next time you steal pvc from a construction site grab the blue shit cuh
a month ago
3 0
profile picture
hylandist
Posts: 85 - Karma: 374
Dlonettii think maybe some like nbd swap combos done on pvc are less valid than if it was on a park feature cuz you can kinda build pvc specifically for like dub 3 swap and stuff.

but look at geilo i bet everyone on this site would want to ski there

gelio looks so fun but I already know i would not be able to hit those curvy tubes they got
a month ago
1 0
profile picture
lil.Boye
Posts: 2785 - Karma: 12,651
Did you actually learn a trick if you never took it to a rail?
tubes are great for learning tricks, but i rarely get the same pleasure on tubes as rails.
What is nice about tubes is that they are a lot nicer on your skis, i got way less edgecracks this season, and i was riding more tubes than i ever have.
hylandistgelio looks so fun but I already know i would not be able to hit those curvy tubes they got


Worked at geilo this season, the curvy tubes were weird at first, but once you get the hang of them they are super fun.
a month ago
1 0
profile picture
hi_vis360
Posts: 5328 - Karma: 55,310
sam_skis_snowNot to sabotage the thread onto a different topic, but I heard this comment in the parks more than a handful of times this year. "Are large tubes the new box feature?"


I think we’ve hit peak tube and the tube features are going to start decreasing, it’s fun to have a few but it’s boring when the entire park is tubes
a month ago
2 0
profile picture
GANDALF
Posts: 6315 - Karma: 6,708
people have been building pvc rails in their backyard since the mid 2000's. nothing new. im 35 and built another one this winter because i think its fun.

airbags are for the rich kids whose parents pay for them to be THE BEST.

not even close.
a month ago
0 0
profile picture
TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 12705 - Karma: 120,044
having a full ass summer snow flex with multiple rails is more the equivalent
a month ago
1 0
profile picture
Christian_Bale
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 25,658
I mean yeah they're like airbags in the sense that pvc is easier to learn tricks on than metal so I kinda get what you're saying but that's kinda where the comparison ends. landing on your side/back on an airbag isn't remotely comparable to landing like that on a jump. slipping out on pvc isn't fun either even if it hurts a bit less than on an actual rail. tbh i think the main issue people have w airbags is that theyre not as accessible. seems like it's hard to get access unless you have a coach. whereas pretty much anyone can get their hands on pvc.
a month ago
2 0
profile picture
hylandist
Posts: 85 - Karma: 374
lil.BoyeDid you actually learn a trick if you never took it to a rail?
tubes are great for learning tricks, but i rarely get the same pleasure on tubes as rails.
What is nice about tubes is that they are a lot nicer on your skis, i got way less edgecracks this season, and i was riding more tubes than i ever have.


Worked at geilo this season, the curvy tubes were weird at first, but once you get the hang of them they are super fun.


that sounds sick
25 days ago
0 0
All times are Eastern (-4); Currently it's 9:26AM