While everyone out West is getting pounded with snow or slaying the park at Breck or Key, we here on the East Coast must resort to more creative ways to ski. Ski Sundown and Fatty's Sporthouse put on THE BEST rail jam of the year so far (I've got high hopes for the Simsbury Celebrates and Colorado Ski Shop jams over the next 2 weeks). The set up was amazing, and everyone there was throwing down. I got to Fatty's a little after 12pm (jam didn't start till 5pm) to see a few kids digging and shoveling snow around. We started to assemble and cover the drop in, shape the jump, bury the rail, cover the landing and of course throw some salt - lots and lots of salt. With so many people helping out, we finished with plenty of time (I think we were done around 2pm), so we started hitting the rail. This jam had the wide, round down rail set up as an up rail - which meant lots and lots of spins. With so much time off the rail, we saw some Frontside 450s, and even a few Blindside 450s that were super clean and styled out. The few skiers and I that were hitting the rail skied from 2 till about 4:30 - then, we had to reshape and recover everything with fresh snow so the show could start at 5. At 5pm the craziness began, more than 25 skiers and riders showed up to hit what everyone agreed was one of the best rails at a jam. At 7:30 the set-up was closed off so that it could be prepped for the best trick competition between the top 4 skiers and top 5 snowboards (the crowd couldn't decide between two riders for the 4th spot so we let them both in). On the skiers side, myself and 3 other riders climbed the ladder 3 times to put down our best tricks - the winner would receive a pair of smith goggles and a brand new pair of LINE poles. Run one saw a blind switch-up, 2 frontside switch-ups, and my frontside 450. Run two a couple bailed tricks, a 2 on Frontside 2 out, and my nose tap shifty to forward. Run three everyone was chasing down the 2 on frontside 2 out, we saw two 270-on attempts that didn't make it to the end of the rail, a switch drop in to frontside 2 out that was just under rotated and couldn't be held on to, and my switch drop in to frontside 4 attempt - but, unfortunately, due to low speed didn't go down. So the winning trick was a 270-on to frontside 270 out. Everyone was trying their hardest tricks all night, and with all the free food and awesome music there was an awesome atmosphere that continued to draw draw people in off the busy street. After this jam I for one can't wait for next Saturday night in Simsbury, CT and December 5th in West Springfield, MA. A couple of pictures from the pre-rail jam session so people can see the set-up... Me (Brendan Walmer)

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[/IMG]Fellow LINE rider Jarrod Moss (Ski Sundown Park Manager and emcee of the evening
[/IMG]Thanks to Fatty's, Ski Sundown, and of course Jarrod Moss for putting on such an awesome rail jam!