MSU Holds First Ever Campus Rail Jam

MSU is arguably the ski school, given its spectacular location for great snow and the proximity to Bridger Bowl and Big Sky Resort. Many students live to ski or snowboard, and on Saturday, Feb. 5, this passion descended from the snow-capped peaks to the campus lawn. 

Enter the first ever MSU Campus Rail Jam.

The event was hosted by PACE, a division of the Office of Student Engagement, and the Residence Hall Association in cooperation with Snow Bro, a snow events production company. Key organizers of the event included Chris Pruden, PACE board advisor; Kaylan Wait, PACE director of dynamic events and project lead; and Isaac Thomas, PACE chair. A rail jam, in layman’s terms, is a skiing and snowboarding skills competition in which athletes are judged on their ability to pull off tricks using a moderately-sized rail garden. 

Rail Jam has been eagerly awaited since its announcement. One of the speakers of the night was graduate student and former ASMSU Business Manager Gage Halverson. Halverson spoke during the event on how he had dreamed of having one for years, even going so far as to tell people that “[he’s] not gonna graduate until there’s a rail jam on campus.” It seems as though his years of dreaming finally paid off. 

By 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, the final preparations were made to the course, which was installed between Jabs Hall and Rendezvous Dining Hall. The LED lights adorning the rails gave off a dull glow in the daylight. Food trucks were parked on Harrison Street, while tents and yard games were situated in the adjacent parking lot.

Shortly after, the competitors emerged from Rendezvous and headed toward the base of the drop-in spot. A total of approximately fifty people watched as the athletes dispersed from a pre-competition briefing to prepare their skis and boards. There was quite a noticeable buzz of anticipation coming from the competitors as they got ready to take their practice runs. 

Lo-fi beats drifted out from the speakers as the snowboarders and skiers warmed-up. The tricks they managed on the rails were unreal and astoundingly athletic. It’s more than enough to make one realize they are serious about their craft, and while they’re all smiles as they test out the features, they are here to compete.

“It’s fun,” skier Dylan Roide said about the event. “I’m super stoked. We’re all cheering each other on.” 

The crowd grew steadily as warm-ups progressed, and as the sun set and the start time drew nearer, the energy level grew to a steady commotion. There were now a few hundred spectating. As the excitement continued to build, the crowd whooped and hollered, some even holding up homemade signs with statements of support for the athletes.

By 6 p.m., the snowboarders had taken their spots. Gone was the mellow and laid-back energy from the hour prior. The lights on the rails now glowed brilliantly, lighting up the young night with a high-octane brand of exhilaration. As the opening notes of “Thunderstruck” sounded across the lawn, there was a clamor coming from the crowd as the competition got underway. 

For the next 30 minutes, the snowboarders threw down in the qualifying round, grinding on and flipping off of the rails with style. “It’s super sick to have this event,” Aiden Peters, one of the competing athletes, said. He was all smiles as he described the first round. He commented that the scoring system was a bit confusing to learn, but said the athletes quickly got the hang of it. Once the time had expired, the snowboarders anxiously awaited news of who would be advancing to the finals.

Upon hearing his name called, fan-favorite Josh Lucas commented, “I’m happy, there’s good vibes and I’m super stoked.” When asked about what he thought of his chances, Lucas responded, “there’s a lot of heavy riders out there.”

By the time the skiers were lined up, the place was packed and humming with a sort of controlled chaos. Parts of the crowd were bumping along with the beat of the music as the skiers shredded. Athletes celebrated each landing, struck poses from the top of the drop-in and shouted out to their friends with the MC’s mic. 

“There’s a lot more than we expected,” snowboard finalist Zach Novak said about the crowd.

When both the snowboarding and skiing qualifying events concluded, the competition grew in intensity. The top six snowboarders and top eight skiers readied themselves for the final, gearing up for one last push to the finish. 

They competed with a renewed passion, giving every ounce of effort they had (and more, as evidenced by some of the gnarly crashes and miscues in those last twenty-minute heats) for a chance to take home the glory, and a new board or pair of skis.

After participating in the final, Dan Mulligan talked about the execution of his (slightly unorthodox) gameplan, “I got the crowd hyped, and that’s why I’m here.” On his performance, Mulligan was not overly optimistic about his chance at a victory, “I did not win. But I won in levels of stoke and happiness.” 

By night’s end, Josh Lucas and “Highland” Haaken Pearson had won for snowboarding and skiing, respectively, and the crowd cheered loudly at the prospect of the event continuing as a tradition. 

MSU is known as a ski school, and the campus Rail Jam brought that culture and love for the sport to the heart of campus.