Terrain Park Jam carves out community

Skiers and snowboarders convened at Bridger Bowl on Saturday for the annual Terrain Park Jam (TPJ). Alongside the competitive atmosphere inherent in any contest, a spirit of inclusivity and positive encouragement permeated the event as competitors showcased their skills one grind, hop and spin at a time.

The TPJ — hosted on Feb. 22 — was open to all ages. Competitors were organized into five different age groups: seven and under, eight to ten, 11-13, 14-18 and 19 and over. Participants were also separated by discipline — skiing or snowboarding — and gender. Those 13 and over competed in the upper terrain park located on the Sunnyside run, while younger participants competed in the lower terrain park located on the Moose Meadows run. 

According to Erin O’Connor, the marketing and communication director for Bridger Bowl, the event has been taking place annually for at least 15 years and is designed for the local community.

“All of our events are community-focused,” she said. “Anyone can enter them as long as they meet the criteria.” 

The event featured a slopestyle showdown where competitors had two runs to nail their best lines. They could choose to show off their skills on several features, including rails, boxes, jumps and banks. The top three scores from each category received medal placings at the awards ceremony.

There was also an award for Best Jam. Competitors had 30 minutes to lap the terrain park and showcase their most dazzling tricks on one of two features. The younger groups could choose between a small jump and a dance floor box, while the older groups had a flat rail or a flat down rail to pick from.

During the competition, some participants received advice from Iris Pham, a 2025 X-Games gold medalist and Bozeman native. Her first-ever competition was the TPJ when she was in high school. While she did not compete this year, Pham did return to help judge.

“Our events are sometimes an introduction to competition, particularly for young participants. We have had two athletes over the years that started in the [TPJ] and have continued on with great success in the snowboarding world: Iris Pham and Evan Wrobel,” O’Connor said.

Makayla Brown and Ada Burris both made their competition debut at the event this past weekend.

“We started [snowboarding] about two and a half seasons ago and we just started actually riding the terrain park within the last couple of months,” Burris said.

Brown won first place in the women’s 19 and over snowboarding category with a score of 63.00. Burris followed closely behind with a score of 59.80. Burris also went on to win Best Jam for the women’s 19 and over snowboarding category.

According to Brown and Burris — who happened to be the only two riders in their category — it was not winning that stuck with them the most. Instead, it was the atmosphere of the event and the support they received during the competition and in the downtime before the award ceremony.

“The manager of the whole thing was so good. He kept saying no pressure, no pressure,” Brown said. “It didn’t even feel like we were competing. We just got to go out there and do our thing.”

According to Burris and Brown, they got the chance to snowboard with Pham after the event.  The two usually snowboard at Big Sky and had never been to Bridger Bowl. They described it as getting a personal tour. “Having [Pham] come out and support changed the whole dynamic,” Brown said.

Pham encouraged the two riders to believe in themselves, which resonated with Brown and Burris. Both riders think any women or girls interested should give park-riding a shot.

“Don’t pay attention to anyone else around you because the worst you are going to do is when you’re thinking about how someone else is perceiving you. Lock yourself in your own world,” Burris said.

The two also emphasized the value of friendship on the hill. “Just finding one person or a group of friends to push you to do better and challenge you to do stuff,” Brown said.

For more information on upcoming events at Bridger Bowl, go to its website bridgerbowl.com under the events tab.