Snow coats Dunn Meadow for Rail Jam event

Despite the nearly 50 degree temperatures, snowboarders and skiers got the chance to display their tricks Friday night as part of IU Ski and Snowboard Club’s annual Rail Jam in Dunn Meadow.

The Rail Jam was made possible by snow imported from ice rinks in Louisville, Ky., and rails provided by Paoli Peaks, a ski resort in Paoli, Ind. Paoli Peaks was one of the sponsors of the event.

The IU Ski and Snowboard club is one of the largest student organizations on campus with more than 400 members, senior and IU Ski and Snowboard Club President Gabe Richardson said.

“The purpose of tonight’s event is just to get people out on campus, see snow before snow  is existent anywhere else, really, and have some fun,” Richardson said.
About 20 people signed waivers to ride the rails at the event, the club’s Marketing Director and Webmaster David Stewart said.

“There’s not snow anywhere else around,” Richardson said. “The only place you can get snow is go to the very tippy top of Michigan or out West, and it’s even limited at that. The fact that we brought snow in at IU’s campus is kind of crazy.”

David Kastan, marketing director for Paoli Peaks, said the Rail Jam is one of the few events Paoli Peaks helps present outside ski season, which starts mid-December
“It’s pretty unique that these guys, they go and they find snow, and they go to ice rinks, collect the snow and put it all out in the middle of the grass and do the jumps and stuff,” Kastan said.

Kastan also said the staff at Paoli Peaks is trying to generate enthusiasm for skiing and snowboarding by sponsoring the Rail Jam.

Sophomore Kyle Pettit  said he was excited for the Rail Jam because he rarely gets the opportunity to ski.

“Its something I don’t get to do a lot, since I’m from Illinois,” Pettit said. “It’s a nice change of pace.”

Chris Eells, graduate student and committee member for the IU Ski and Snowboard Club, said he joined the club a few years ago because he was looking for a group of people to ski with.

“It’s a total freedom,” Eells said. “I’m a pilot, and I think skiing is as close as I can get to flying. I can think of something, and I can do it.”

Eells said after comes down a mountain, it’s like he has achieved something glorious.
“I have to be able to read a mountain, read a slope, figure out what the line is, figure out where and how I’m going to make my turns and do it without thinking, by using my endurance and ability,” Eells said.

Skiing allows a person to challenge himself, Eells said.

“My human body has limitations, but when I’m on skis, it feels almost limitless,” Eells said.