Slopestyle stoke arrives on campus this weekend

The Jake Jabs lawn will more closely resemble an X Games competition on Saturday, when student athletes will throw down their best tricks on a bite-sized slopestyle course in the annual campus Rail Jam.

Two weeks ago, students watched from afar as professionals sent tricks during the 2023 X Games held in Aspen, Colorado, and now there’s a chance to see it in our own backyard. The Office of Student Engagement (OSE) and Rockstar Energy Drink are hosting this freestyle competition, the second annual Rail Jam on campus – and it’s got a few upgrades.

The competition features a brand-new, custom, professionally built slopestyle course by SnoBro. There will be a live DJ, lighting, food trucks, raffles and outdoor activities. The Rail Jam will be held on Feb. 11, at 5 p.m. on Jabs lawn.

Last year, Rail Jam was an epic success. The OSE estimated 3,000 students attended to watch their classmates send some gnarly terrain park tricks right in the heart of campus.

With so many moving parts involved in organizing the event, planning for this year’s Rail Jam started last Spring. The largest challenges organizing the event were acquiring insurance coverage and promoting the event, said Kaylan Wait, the OSE’s director of dynamic events.

“Most of the work starts in September, leading up to the event. I’m a student, so that’s when I started planning the event, but it is definitely a year-long process,” she said.

This year, there will be 45 student athletes competing for the first-place cash prize. Of that total, 11 are women, a considerable increase in female slopestyle competitors compared to last year.

“We have eight female skiers and three female snowboarders. We are super stoked to have them. They will be in their own division starting at 5:30 p.m.. Then we will have 21 male skiers and 13 male snowboarders,” Wait said.

The organizers focused heavily on recruiting more female athletes for this year’s competition. They partnered with a local brand called Novia Productions, which focuses on women’s empowerment in sports.

“We had a lot of women apply to compete this year, and they were all in before the deadline,” Wait said.

The Rail Jam is brought to MSU by three on-campus offices and eight different sponsors. The sponsors include local businesses like Red Tractor Pizza, the Bridger Ski Foundation and larger companies like Rockstar Energy.

Previously, the OSE advertised the event would run until 10 p.m. However, after organizing the heats, they believe it will end closer to 9 p.m.

“We recommend that people show up as early as possible because it will probably end a little bit earlier,” Wait said.

Raffle tickets are sold in the Office of Student Engagement until Friday, Feb. 10, and are $2 when bought before the event. However, if purchased at the raffle ticket tent during the event, each ticket will cost $5. Prizes will range from 3 pairs of skis, 5 snowboards, and a bunch of other great gear.