Summer Send Off Rail Jam

Words & photos by Malcolm Arcand

It was a beautiful afternoon in Montreal for the Summer Send Off Rail Jam. The sun was out but the temperature wasn't warm enough to melt the snow. I wasn't expecting such perfect weather for a pre-season rail jam. The in-run was long and mellow instead of a typical scaffolding setup. This allowed the riders to hit the features switch with ease, something that you don`t always see at rail jams. The competition was jam format, so everyone got a pretty equal amount of hits which meant that people like me who weren't up for competing aggressively didn't have to worry about being eliminated early and having to watch others have all the fun.

I think it's fair to say that everyone's skiing was a little rusty for the first couple of runs, but after that everything seemed to go swimmingly besides a couple of gnarly bails.

Waiting our turn to hit the setup

I don`t think anyone could`ve asked for a better jam. Live music, a barbeque and some sick skiing.

Some live music courtesy of local band Velvet Trench Vibes

Despite his unserious appearance, this guy was actually throwing down quite seriously.

There was only one girl shredding but she absolutely slayed.

Although he arrived a little late, Christophe Thompson was quick to catch up and ended up throwing down some sick maneuvers including a 360 switch up over the up-flat rail earning him a well deserved third place.

Christophe Thompson (3rd place)

Andrew Jamison, who came in second, killed it the entire jam with, among other sick-nasty trickeries, hand-drags and front flips over the tire jib.

Andrew Jamison (Second place)

But in the end, the first place prize had to go to Thomas Aubry whose somewhat clean clothes proved the consistency he had with his tricks.

Thomas Aubry (First place)

As the jam was just about to end some kids got the amazing idea of putting all of the rails together to make one gnarly beast of a feature, making for an awesome end to a great day in Montreal.

I believe this guy was the guinea pig

A big thanks goes out to D-structure and Newschoolers for sponsoring this event along with Peter and Stephan who made everything possible with their masterful planning. The Summer Send Off rail jam is scheduled to become an annual event so if you weren`t there this year make sure to mark it in your calendar for next time!

Summer Send Off organizers Peter & Stephan