Some Foundation Tricks

I'm gonna start off talking about rails, because well, I love them. Rails are among my favorite obstacles to ride. Rails and boxes are man made terrain that snowboarders grind on an use to look really cool.
Start off small.
Hitting the big rails will come, but get the groundwork started before you find yourself in a situation that you won't know how to deal with. The easiest way to hit a rail is head on, like the way you would ride down a slope. This will put you in a 50-50 railslide. In many cases, the beginner rails have a small ramp leading up to them and with a little speed, you should get on just fine as long as you commit to it. In the case of rails without ramps, as well as for all ramps for that matter, you may utilized the Ollie. The Ollie is a technique used to project you and your board off the ground and is the foundation for all aerial tricks. To ollie you must compress your weight over the center of the board and explode upwards, shooting your front foot high and bringing up your back foot to meet its height, then landing. In the case of rails, the object is to come down with your board over the rail to ride on it. An important note to make is that unlike in the snow, DO NOT TRY TO DIG IN YOUR EDGES TO STOP. You will fall and potentially get injured. What ever speed you hit the rail at is the speed your destined to ride it. Just "Go with the flow." You can ride rails in endless manners and angles, so just have fun with it!

Ramps are where you are allowed to really go big. I recommend getting comfortable with the jump in question before you try and go all out. Here are some good grabs that give you style points and possibly help you put yourself back on balance while soaring through the air:
The Indy grab- Do your now mastered ollie at a decent speed and while airborne, you are going to grab the center of your board at the toe edge with your back hand. Remember, bring the board to you, don't go to it. Use your legs to bring the board to your hand or else you may get off balance rather quickly. Get a good firm hold and release and prepare for landing by straightening your legs back up, but don't ever lock your knees.
The Mute Grab is just like the Indy except you grab the center of you board with your leading hand.
The Nose Grab, this is still one of my favorite grabs because it feels comfortable to me and it looks great. It also gives the sensation of flight, especially when you tweak it to the side. You'll see. To do this one, when you are in the air, lift the front end of your board to a near vertical degree and grab it with your leading hand.

Remember to keep it safe and have fun. Even when certain aspects of the sport seem daunting, just think that snowboarding is a lifetime of satisfaction and learning, and with experience will come skill. Now get outta your chair and go ride already!