‘Dawn of the Shred’ kicks off winter season

Students+perform+their+gnarliest+maneuvers+at+the+Halloween+Rail+Jam.+The+annual+event+took+place+on+the+Trinity+campus+green+Oct.+31.

Alek Feury

Students perform their gnarliest maneuvers at the Halloween Rail Jam. The annual event took place on the Trinity campus green Oct. 31.

Sophie MacMillan, Staff Writer

With a sound that resembled the tearing of a cardboard box, the skier swept across the snow while skidding to a halt.

He immediately unlocked his skis and sped up the hill for another round on the terrain park.

In the background, more skiers and snowboarders made their way down the course as the crowd around them cheered. People were moving at a fast pace, going up and down the terrain.

The bright purple lights shown on the homemade snow as onlookers cheered and clapped as announcements were made for every participant. 

The announcer, senior SSC events coodinator Allison Larew, narrated the shredders’ wipeouts and impressive tricks landed by the shredders in the background of the eighth annual Halloween Rail Jam.

The event brought crowds to Trinity campus at 7 p.m. Oct. 31.

The Rail Jam was held on Trinity for the first time this year instead of Redstone green, its previous location.

Crowds of students surrounded the jumps and snow-covered green.

 

“Despite the odds of this crazy weather, we pulled off an absolutely epic rail jam,” Larew said. “Come hell, high water or literally no snow, you best believe we’ll always bring our shredders what they want to see: Dawn of the Shred!”

After a few rounds of tough competition between the 40 skiers and snowboarders, the finalists were announced. The snow was melting but there was no stopping the determined shredders.

Junior Andrew Bock has competed in the Rail Jam for the past three years. “Everything is on point – the snow, the set up, the people; it could not be better,” he said.

As the clock neared 9 p.m. and the final tricks were complete, the crowd waited for the announcement of the winners.

The first-place winner in men’s skiing was junior Nick Murphy, while junior Honorine Klinkner won in the women’s category.

In the snowboarding categories, junior Maggie Leon snagged first place for the women and first-year Joey Leon for the men.

Junior Lindsey Koski, a member of the Club Alpine Ski Team, was especially excited about the event’s success.

“Despite the unfavorable conditions, it was great to see the SSC put on another sweet Rail Jam,” Koski said. “Always a good time to spread some winter stoke in October.”

UVMSSC is the largest collegiate ski and snowboard club in the U.S., according to the UVMSSC website.

Their mission is to build relationships between UVM and the greater Northern Vermont ski and snowboard community, according to the website.

The club provides buses to local resorts during the spring semester andd works to put on a variety of events throughout the year, according to their website.