BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Liam Dillon was having the time of his life at the Burton Champlain College Rail Jam.
“Everyone’s throwing down. It’s absolutely electric. Everyone is feeling the vibes. It couldn’t be a better atmosphere… People are getting happy. I’m dancing, having a good time. DJ’s getting down. I told him to play a song. He said he didn’t have it on his hard drive. Not a big deal,” said Dillon.
But what was a big deal here? The skiing, riding, and most of all, hardcore tricks.
“The skiing tonight is off the charts. We’re looking for a lot of variety of tricks, but first and foremost we’re looking for style,” said Rail Jam judge Chase Mohrman.
Style is everything for judges, and how “style” was defined was up to them to decide.
“They’re doing things that are really difficult up there, so to have the ability to make it look easy, that’s style,” said Mohrman.
“That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day, putting your own spin on it and making it look effortless. if you can land something and it looks like you never took off, that’s getting points in my book,” said Rail Jam judge Taylor Dibauld.
The event was organized by Champlain sophomore Leo Chrapala, president of the college’s ski and ride club.
“I really just wanted to bring people together, create an environment where skiers and riders can come together and have some fun, and add some competition to it,” said Chrapala.
For the competitors with a $10,000 prize on the line, they couldn’t be more stoked to hit the rails.
There were over 300 people on Finney quad Thursday night, and they’re hoping for an even bigger crowd next year.