How to hit boxes and rails on skis
In this ski trick series, we will learn how to slowly start hitting wide boxes and progress into adding spins, tricks and more advanced boxes.
The time has come to start hitting boxes on skis. Learning to hitboxes and rails on skis is a really amazing feeling and not as hard as you may think.
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Before we begin
Before you proceed with this series, make sure that you have learned the tricks and techniques from the previous three series.
All of the above techniques will be used in this tutorial, so for your best progression make sure to learn all of the above before starting to practice how to hit boxes.
So now, let’s go hit those boxes on skis!
Learning fifty-fifty on skis
Fifty-fifty is the first technique we learn and by far the easiest to hit a box with. To do fifty-fifty, all you have to do is to hit the box with a bit of speed and slide it with both skis forward. Just like riding down the slope.
Start with a wide box
Hit the box with both skis pointing forward, feet slightly apart, shoulders tall and a low position with bent knees and your weight just in front of your boots.
Keep that position to hold your balance and keep your look forwards.
One common mistake is to not have enough speed. If you feel like it is hard to keep your direction forward, take slightly more speed.
The box is slippery, and if you barely have any momentum when hitting it, it is easy to lose balance or slide to the side.
Now let’s advance a little bit with a slow transition to our box slide. Practice your fifty-fifty to the point where it feels easy for you and you can do it without hesitation.
Now we are going to do the same thing, but let’s add a shifty on the box. Hit the box just like you practised previously, but when your skis have full contact with the box, do a shifty by twisting your hips and skis the opposite way of your arms. Keep your chest and shoulders facing downhill at all times.
When coming into the shifty, put more weight on your downhill foot.
Keep the shifty position until the end of the box, and do a shifty down from the box to land with your skis facing downhill. Bend your knees slightly for a low position and keep your weight at the downhill ski.
Common mistakes
If you do not shift your weight to the downhill ski (your front ski in this case) you can lose balance and fall back onto your hip.
Avoid this by adding more weight to your downhill ski. You can also slightly widen your stance and shift weight to your downhill ski for better balance.
Check out this video for a breakdown of the techniques.
How to box slide on skis
When you feel that you can easily transition to a shifty on the box from your fifty-fifty, it is time to do the shifty before hitting the box.
Do a pop just before the box, and do your shifty in the air, keep your position and land on the box.
Your skis at a 90-degree angle and with your shoulders and chest facing downhill.
When you land on the box, make sure to have your weight on the downhill ski and your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly for better balance.
When you come to the end of the box, do a shifty to land with your skis downhill.
Box slide with switch landing
We learned how to ride switch in the second ski trick series, now let’s take that skill to spice up the box slide.
When doing a box slide with switch landing, you want to let your downhill shoulder slightly rotate into the shifty.
Letting your shoulder rotate into the shifty will place you sideways on the box while sliding. Just keep calm and do exactly what you already learned above to keep your balance.
Keep your look at the end of the box at all times.
When you come to the end of the box, instead of doing a shifty and land with your skis downhill. Do a shifty the other way and land switch. Since you allowed your shoulder to start rotating already on the box, not much power is needed for the shifty. But it might feel a bit scary at first.
And you might land sideways the first tries, that is quite common.
Here is a full progression video from Jens at Stomp It Tutorials where Jens is teaching a beginner how to hit boxes. (Well maybe not a total beginner since he is a good snowboarder already)
Advanced rail tricks on skis
When you start feeling comfy with the above techniques you should start advancing, the easiest thing is to start with more challenging objects like more narrow boxes, pipes and even rails.
But when narrow boxes and pipes are easy peasy, you may want to start progression with more advanced tricks.
We recommend having a look at the below video once you have mastered the above tricks. Jens from Stomp It Tutorials are showing 7 more advanced techniques you can drill to become a master at railing with your skis.
FAQs
What is the optimal speed for hitting the boxes on skis?
The ideal speed will vary based on your comfort and skill level. However, a common mistake is to approach the box too slowly, leading to loss of balance or sideways slides. Ensure you have enough speed to maintain direction and stability.
What exercises can improve my performance at hitting boxes and rails on skis?
Practicing foundational techniques like riding switch/backwards, hitting jumps on skis, and performing shifties on the ground can significantly improve your performance on boxes and rails.