I’ve had a few readers ask what I mean by “rails on edge.” Some assume it’s about unbridled risk. It’s not.
Definition: On modern skis, there’s a steel edge running along each side. That’s your lifeline. Old wooden skis didn’t have them—those guys were true daredevils. On steep terrain, without edges, you’re just praying.
For a visual, check out this classic clip: Shane McConkey—absolute legend, pioneer of modern ski design—bombing steeps on water skis.
No edges, no rules. McConkey embodied the “send it” mentality. Pure risk, pure creativity. He died tragically “sending it”. If you don’t know the story, it’s worth looking up.
Now compare that to someone like Ted Ligety—12-time World Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and now an advisor to CARV (I’m a user and a huge fan). Ligety didn’t build his career on “send it.” He built it on precision. Rails on edge, every turn, every gate. He made speed look like control.
Why Rails on Edge Matters
Let’s take a Maine example: skiing Sugarloaf. You hit a patch of blue ice—happens all the time. Lean into the hill, and you’ll slide out, hip to ice, ego bruised. But if you set your rails on edge, those skis bite. You glide across, intact and in control.
Or in Montana, at Bridger Bowl. Most days it’s “cold smoke” powder, not ice. Still, I am trying to ski rails on edge. Frankly, it’s a life time pursuit. Like the perfect golf swing. I’m not really a golfer but hang with the analogy. Impossible to obtain but fun to chase.
Rails on edge means hips to snow, carving blues with Olympic-style commitment.
Fun fact: Olympic races aren’t on double blacks. They’re on blues—the kind of runs almost anyone can get down. The difference is how you ski them.
That’s my definition of rails on edge: mastering terrain you can easily “get down,” but doing it with speed, precision, and control.
Not just surviving. Really skiing. Truly carving.
The Entrepreneurial Parallel
Business works the same way. Some entrepreneurs play it too safe—they never risk enough to grow. Others “send it” recklessly, chasing scale, burning cash, and flaming out.
True mastery lies in rails on edge. Speed with control. The courage to push, but the discipline to carve. That balance—between chaos and order—is the entrepreneurial journey.
