The Rail Jam is back, and this year the stakes are higher than ever.
Last year’s Rail Jam, a professional ski/snowboard competition tour, drew over 2,000 people to the University Hill near CU’s campus. This year, the Rail Jam winner will be crowned the King of Campus.
(Courtesy Logan Spence/Boulder Freeride)
The Kings of Campus Rail Jam, organized by Winter Park Mountain Resort, Boulder Freeride and other sponsors, is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. this Friday at the Coors Events Center.
“We’re planning on having two to three thousand people in attendance,” said Logan Spence, president of Boulder Freeride and co-creator of Rail Jam. “It’s all CU students, so whoever wins is definitely going to be the best CU rider. It’s going to be a sick event and will be a real good time.”
Over 50 skiers and riders have already signed up. Since CU is one of the best universities in the country for snow sports, the competition is stacked with talent. The best part for spectators is that they’ll likely know some of the talented athletes.
“It’s going to be sicker [than last year’s competition] because it’s going to be all kids you know that you see around campus all the time, not just professionals that you’ll never see again,” Spence said. “It will be sick to see your fellow classmates out there doing things you’ve never seen them do before.”
Colton Chorpenning, the assistant manager of the CU snowboard team, said over twenty riders from the CU snowboard and freestyle skiing teams will be competing, making this year’s event the perfect way to display the variety of style and skill that the Boulder ski community has.
“When I imagined this event, I saw it as a way to showcase the unrecognized talent of CU students,” Chorpenning said.
Winter Park Resort is bringing in four dump trucks of snow and creating a variety of features, so the athletes will be on a course that begs to be ridden.
“[The course] is going to be officially made the day of the event, but we’re definitely going to have a big down rail and down box,” Chorpenning said. “We’re also going to have a secret freestyle feature that will be like nothing that anyone has ever seen before.”
It’s not all about the skiing at this year’s Rail Jam, though. With multiple DJs being featured in this year’s competition, Friday night will be the party CU students have been waiting for.
“We’re going to have DJ Be Good, DJ’s from Thissongissick.com,” Chorpenning said. “And DJ Tipsy will be there as well.”
Those planning to attend can go to the Kings of Campus Rail Jam Facebook page for more information.
“It’s going to be a concert, skiing and snowboarding and it’s going to be a great start to any Friday night,” Spence said. “It’s going to be a great way for everyone to start their weekend.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Joseph Wirth at Joseph.wirth@colorado.edu.
