Find a rail or box that you’re not afraid to mess with. Commitment is the name of the game, and finding the right rail to learn on is your first step. Find one that’s relatively low to the ground, with a well-maintained jump. Also, there are a few different ways to line up the rail in relation to your body and skis. I line rails up with the foot that will be trailing once I’m on the rail (i.e. line rail up with left foot when sliding right foot forward, and the opposite for sliding left foot forward). Some people “straddle” the rail, with the rail lined up directly between both skis.

Scary as it might sound, you need to carry some speed into the rail, because it’s much easier to maintain your balance with some momentum.

When you reach the lip of the jump, begin to rotate your upper body slowly before you pop off of both feet. Having your upper body slightly rotated once you’re in the air will help your feet follow your upper body, which means you will land on the rail all squared up.

Being squared up means having your feet perpendicular to the rail, with about 60% of your weight on your front foot, with your shoulders running parallel with the rail.

When you are approaching the end of the rail, start rotating your body to whichever direction you want to end up in (regular or switch). Again, your feet will follow, and you’ll hit the ground running…or skiing…or whatever might happen. Keep focused on practicing as it will only get easier.