A Freeride competitor hits a rail during Hill Jam at The Hill on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Joey Virgilio/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder’s Freeride skiing and snowboarding club hosted the 2023 Hill Jam, a rail and jib skiing and snowboarding contest on the University Hill on Dec. 9.
The competitions offered skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to showcase their tricks on rails on 13th Street and College Avenue.
The first Rail Jam on the Hill was hosted in 2008 through the Campus Rail Jam Tour. The event was ultimately shut down in 2011, according to Ashley Dunn, the Hill Jam coordinator and a sophomore member of Freeride.
“We were cleaning out our office last April, and I came across a CD that was just unmarked and at the bottom of a box. I brought it home and plugged it into my computer, and it was an old promo video from the 2009 Rail Jam on the Hill, which none of us even knew was a thing,” Dunn said. “I was absolutely blown away by it.”
The competition lasted two rounds with 30 riders across both men’s and women’s categories. A panel of four local skiers and snowboarders scored competitors on style, consistency and creativity to determine 12 finalists and a podium for the top three athletes in each category.
A competitor skis down a rail constructed by Freeride during Hill Jam on Dec. 9, 2023. (Joey Virgilio/CU Independent)
“It was a new experience,” said Jaxson Holme, a sophomore who finished as the first-place men’s skier and overall second in the men’s category. “Especially skiing in an urban area where you wouldn’t ever really expect to ski.”
Holme said that these differences increased the pressure of the event.
“I think the main [difference] is the pressure that you feel from the spectators… especially with probably 500-plus people watching,” Holme said, referencing the large crowd drawn to the event. “When you’re standing up on that drop-in, you look around and hear people, and it’s a pretty impressive thing to be surrounded by.”
A Hill Jam competitor surrounded by large numbers of onlookers during his ride on Dec. 9, 2023. (Joey Virgilio/CU Independent)
Other riders also noted the increased tension that the large crowds added for the competitors.
“The pressure was on,” said Dunn, who finished first in the women’s category. “I wouldn’t say it was my best work, but I had fun just getting to participate.”
Crowds gathered on the Hill to watch skiers and snowboarders participate in the Hill Jam competition on Dec. 9, 2023. (Joey Virgilio/CU Independent)
The deviation from typical conditions forced the participants to make changes to their usual riding styles.
“Overall, I think the conditions were pretty hard,” Holme said. “I was proud of how… everyone was able to adapt and figure out what worked best for them, whether they were on skis or a snowboard.”
The competition invited all students to compete, not just members of Freeride, and was open to viewing by any members of the Boulder community.
“It’s very accessible to everyone who lives in Boulder,” said sophomore Hannah McShane, who attended the event. “I hope they keep doing it.”
This accessibility for all, Dunn said, was part of her motivation for reinstating the competition.
“The whole goal for this event was to just be a community-wide event that engaged as many students and as many members of the city as possible,” Dunn said.
Contact CU Independent News Editor Jessi Sachs at Jessica.Sachs@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Staff Photographer Joey Virgilio at Joseph.VirgilioIV@colorado.edu.
