Ghetto Backyard rail question

[INDY GS]

Jayfrizzo's thread a few days ago got me thinking about a railslide in my backyard.

I have just been learning to do rail slides, so I was wondering if anyone could post pics of easy rails to build/ and learn on. space is not an issue, and portability isn't either.

I currently have a 10' pipe propped up on a log, but it is getting boring to play on, as it is only 8" off the ground at the end.

I have a decent hill I make snow for me to play on as well as to teach my son to learn how to ski. He is not quite three and It is hard to bring him in from skiing already!

thanks in advance.

[Pinner]

Ghetto rails.
http://tinyurl.com/2q23j

[1080Rider]

I've made skateboard rails for myself as a lad as well as for my kids. I usually use PVC (don't know if this will work for skis, or if the edges will dig in and not slide). Drill holes in the pvc then screw it to a board of some type. Prolly 4X4 would work well. Then you can suspend the 4X4 above the ground and build a suitable gap into the rail. Can do the same thing if you have metal pipe laying around, I just don't ever come across any.

[INDY GS]

Sounds like a good idea 1080. I think PVC would crack in the cold we've been having, +10 --- -10 F consistantly as well as my large ass might just crush it.

I will use this idea and the metal pipe I already have and let you know from the emergency room how I'm doing.

[1080Rider]

Go git some!!

[midget]

Just find someone that kinda knows how to mig weld and have them pop some legs on a 20' pipe. yer all set.

[powpowpowderwheels]

A friend of mine has a rail "park" in his back yard. He uses all PVC, it seems to work just fine in the cold. From what i can tell, PVC is much faster than steel, so lean into the slide a little more. He screws through a two by four and into the PVC. This seems to work pretty well if you use two small (1") pieces of pipe parallel to eachother and touching side by side on top of the 2 x 4. Then he makes the support for the rail/wood with other 2 x 4's. He has a straight rail that is 10' and a foot off the ground and a volcano rail that goes up to about 4' off the ground. The problem with PVC is that we haven't figured out how to get longer than 10' lengths, but it slides pretty well.

[laseranimal]

^

Pictures???

[laseranimal]

while we're on the topic of backyard ski areas/terrain parks, anyone found a good way to groom? I have a really flat slope in my frontyard, its about 30-40 yards long and like cattrack/bunny hill in slope. I can ski it but i have to straightline it 20 yards while polling furiously just to get up some speed to turn. I wanna set up a ghetto park but i'd need to pack the snow somehow should i just sidestep up and down?

[INDY GS]

laser - the best way to groom is to just side step it. I also use a large plastic leaf rake to smooth the snow out (makes it more even) and when we get a short thaw, the snow sets up nicely.

I have probobly gone a little nuts in my passion for building this backyard ski area. I keep telling everyone it is for my son, which it is, but It is for me too damnit.

I have built a home snowmaker, which I haven't had to use much lately, but it helps make fast snow. I also shovel snow to make a good base. The run is about 200-250 feet long and currently has a 10' rail and a small roller/jump, can't make it too big or I will hit the branches in the trees. Now I need to build a small rope tow, in addition to the rail slide I plan on adding.

IF you have a flat area (not much slope) use several hay bails if available to pile snow on, this will give you a good ramp to get the speed you need without poling and skating like hell.

Oh yeah I will post pics tomorrow after I take my boy skiing.

[gonzo]

this is hilarious. yeah indy gs! i want to see this thing.

[INDY GS]

sure I'll post pics, especially of my litle grom tearin it up, he's not even 3 and he loves skiing. I hope the passion I have and he seems to have stays with him for years to come.

do you think the idea of backyard skiing is hilarious or just the amount of time devoted to it?

My neighbors think I'm nuts, but the kids around here think I'm a freaking hero. I guess the fact that I spend time making life for me, my wife and my son fun is something lost on some of my neighbors. Maybe that is why they are divorced and have kids that are complete punks/intorverts. anyway. I will be sure to get some pics of the setup tomorrow.

[CRACKER]

Originally posted by Pinner
Ghetto rails.
http://tinyurl.com/2q23j

LMAO!

[edg]

Originally posted by laseranimal
while we're on the topic of backyard ski areas/terrain parks, anyone found a good way to groom? I have a really flat slope in my frontyard, its about 30-40 yards long and like cattrack/bunny hill in slope. I can ski it but i have to straightline it 20 yards while polling furiously just to get up some speed to turn. I wanna set up a ghetto park but i'd need to pack the snow somehow should i just sidestep up and down?

I've been looking at building a home snow maker, but missing three major components...

1). Air Compressor
2). Half decent water compressor
3). Temperatures >32.

How much snow can you get outta yours? The shots on a site I was looking at showed about 6"-1' overnight, which is quite impressive...

edg

[midget]

Originally posted by powpowpowderwheels
A friend of mine has a rail "park" in his back yard. He uses all PVC, it seems to work just fine in the cold. From what i can tell, PVC is much faster than steel, so lean into the slide a little more. He screws through a two by four and into the PVC. This seems to work pretty well if you use two small (1") pieces of pipe parallel to eachother and touching side by side on top of the 2 x 4. Then he makes the support for the rail/wood with other 2 x 4's. He has a straight rail that is 10' and a foot off the ground and a volcano rail that goes up to about 4' off the ground. The problem with PVC is that we haven't figured out how to get longer than 10' lengths, but it slides pretty well.

How many times does he scorpion to death on that pvc?.....or does he have rail skis?

[gonzo]

Originally posted by INDY GS
sure I'll post pics, especially of my litle grom tearin it up, he's not even 3 and he loves skiing. I hope the passion I have and he seems to have stays with him for years to come.

do you think the idea of backyard skiing is hilarious or just the amount of time devoted to it?

My neighbors think I'm nuts, but the kids around here think I'm a freaking hero. I guess the fact that I spend time making life for me, my wife and my son fun is something lost on some of my neighbors. Maybe that is why they are divorced and have kids that are complete punks/intorverts. anyway. I will be sure to get some pics of the setup tomorrow.

i think it is fucking great! your son and wife are very lucky! (as are the neighborhood kids!)

rock on!

[jayfrizzo]

I think it's fun to just build stuff. Can't wait until I have kids so I can build more for us, er them.

You can affix wood to metal a couple ways. I did it 2 different ways with my rail.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jasonmerr.../rail/rail.jpg

For the legs (vertical pieces) I drilled a 1/2" (I think) hole in the top of the rail, and a 1/4" hole in the bottom. The top hole has to be big enough for the head of a wood or sheet metal screw to fit through. You then drop it through the top and screw it into the wood.

For the supports (45-degree pieces) I drilled from the bottom up, only through the bottom of the rail and used concrete (masonry) screws to affix the wood directly to the metal. You have to get the hole in the metal perfect, tho, so the threads bite but the hole isn't too big.

I'd have done this for the vertical pieces and toed them in, but didn't know when I first built those you could do that.

Or, you can have a fabrication (welding) shop build one for you. I called around over the summer to a bunch of shops and found one guy who skated and said he'd build me a 15', 18"-high rail for $120 or so. So if you've got more extra money than carpentry skills this is definetly the way to go. Welded will be waaaay more stable and will last longer. I didn't go that route cause I ain't got no job, then found the steel and wood in our garagel.

In short, good luck.

J-

[schuss]

get sched. 40 PVC, that won't crack or anything on you. As for longer than 10' lengths, ask your hardware store. I did the "bolt to 4x4" thing, and it took me less than an hour and a half to make it, including the trip to the hardware store.

[INDY GS]

Well I said I would post pics, I built a short 5 foot rail today, it is kind of intimidating since I have never really done much park skiing, the little rail I set up got me used to the sliding sensation. a few diggers and a sore shoulder later I am happy to say i can slide the whole rail and land switch. The pictures make teh drop look a little more ominus.

My son Blake on his fouth day skiing ever. He turns three in march.

EDIT: note blakes steeze! We will ahve to teach hime that isn't cool unless you have skis without edges.

http://bolderdesignstudio.com/blake%20skiing.jpg

this is the low practice rail I set up to get used to sliding, it is a 9 foot steel pipe, we got a lot of snow so it is kind of buried now.

http://bolderdesignstudio.com/small%...ice%20rail.jpg

here is teh rail I built today, 4x4 post with support leg, and 2 1"PVC pipes, it is about 5 foot long. a couple other views too.

http://bolderdesignstudio.com/new%20rail.jpg

http://bolderdesignstudio.com/new%20...her%20side.jpg

http://bolderdesignstudio.com/lookin...0at%20rail.jpg

[Sublime]

Your son is one lucky guy.

What's next a little tow rope?

[INDY GS]

edg, as far as the output of a home snow maker, the bigger your air compressor, the bigger your output.

I have a compressor that puts out about 7 cfm, I am using well water pressure, probobly around 50-65PSI and that is about it, I know some people use pressure washers to boost output, but I don't have that much time anymore to experiment.

I am pretty happy with what I can do. I can make about 1"/hour in the right conditions, (no wind, below 25F and low humidity) this is rarely the case. It can work, but don't expect to have an assload of output or to be skiing after one night of snowmaking. It just doesn't happen. But if you get sustained temps below freezing, you can build a base of snow that covers the ground well, then shovel any and all natural snow onto the man made stuff and you got a nice little area to play around on.

Or you can look at www.backyardblizzard.com and buy one of their machines, which do a pretty good job from what I have seen. They have good output and are pretty well proven. You would have a lot less experimenting with this setup, but also have a lot less cash.

My snowmaker cost me about 15 dollars to build not including hose and compressor.

[INDY GS]

sublime, absolutly, it is a pain in the arse climbing up the hill esp with my son in my arms, I am wiped after about two hours of playing with him today.

I was actually working on a plan for a rope tow with my engineer father who is willing to pay and help me set it up. I hope we can get something together this season, but if not, definately next year.

[gonzo]

hell yeah!

your neighbors must think you are nuts! right on!

[powpowpowderwheels]

Originally posted by midget
How many times does he scorpion to death on that pvc?.....or does he have rail skis?

Scorpion? I dunno what that is, but my bandit xx's slide just fine on the PVC.

[INDY GS]

yeah they do think I'm nuts, and I did after I took the digger and crushed my shoulder, a few coors have eased the pain that was setting in.

This has been a fun project for me, now I will have the balls to hit some rails when I am at the hill next time.