SSC Rail Jam’s Pipe Dreams: Competing As A New Park Skier

My breath is heavy and my veins are coursing with a nervous excitement. My vision turns to a blurred tunnel that seems to grow smaller with every passing second, until the only image in focus is the tips of my Blizzard Sheeva 10 skis.

The mountain is quiet at 10:30 on a Monday morning, and I, alone, begin to feel my weight shift as my sharp-edged all mountain skis slide across the slushy surface toward a large piece of metal. Turn 90 degrees. Keep skis flat on the rail.

A mellow jazz standard creeps into my consciousness through wired earbuds, the music distorted due to the snow’s dangerous interference with electrical currents. My mind goes blank, my vision disappears, the world goes silent, and suddenly I find myself landing backwards on the snow. I just slid a rail for the first time ever. My skis slid across metal!

The universe comes back into focus before me, and I smile so big I can feel the corners of my mouth reach the cloudless sky. I’m laughing now, in a state of exhilarated delirium.

Several hours, and many harmless crashes later, I’m driving home and frantically texting Sarah, begging for a spot in fall semester rail jam. The event, put on by the University of Vermont’s Ski and Snowboard Club (SSC), will be the perfect opportunity to showcase my newly developed skills in the park.

I’m from Colorado, with roots in big mountain freeride skiing, defined by steep chutes, cliffs, and taking full advantage of natural features. Previous to moving out East for college, I had no interest in putting my skis on metal. Apart from practicing air awareness on jumps, I limited my adventures in the park. But the big mountain skiing in Vermont differs from Colorado’s terrain, and the park culture on the East coach is extremely intriguing, so I decided that I might as well take this opportunity to learn something new.

As an ambassador for SSC, I’ve spent the last two years involved with the setup for rail jams; shoveling snow all night in the week prior to the event, and promoting it as much as possible. My friend Alan

Misura serves as the ambassador coordinator for SSC, building the ambassador team and playing a role in snow-shoveling preparation in the week prior to the event.

“There’s really no other event like this on campus,” says Misura. “It’s like UVM’s super bowl; it’s the biggest event on campus. It really shows the talent of all the competitors as well as the people who coordinate. It shows what the student body can do.”

During my first year, I hadn’t done any rails, so didn’t participate in the event, but this year I took a spot on the podium at Holiday Hucks in the beginning of December during the fall semester. It fueled my desire to improve my park skills, and now I’m ecstatic to compete at Pipe Dreams, bound to take place on Friday, February 2nd.

I’ve spent the last week with the officers and ambassadors for SSC, preparing for the event by taking several truckloads of snow from the ice rink at the gym to the Davis Center green. I’ve also spent hours at Mount Ellen in the Sugarbush Parks refining my abilities. Now it’s Friday, the day of the event, and my notions are a mix of uneasy apprehension and enthusiastic anticipation.

I’m spending the day helping the club with rail set-ups, last minute shoveling, and finalizing the course so that we can put on the best event possible. Sarah Shipman, SSC’s events coordinator, has played a crucial role in the planning process, along with all the other officers.

“The energy at the rail jam is unlike anything else at the university,” says Shipman. “This event takes months of planning and an absolutely hectic week of manual labor to make happen, but the smiles on everyone’s faces makes it all worth it in the end. Watching the event grow over the past few years has been amazing and I’m really excited to see where it goes in the future, especially with the increase in female competitors! Building this community event on campus is truly special and could not happen without the help of many awesome people, sponsors, and staff.”

Once the course is finalized, I go home to grab my gear, and soon the event is underway. We begin with about an hour of practice, an opportunity for competitors to try out the features and any tricks before the judging begins. I see familiar faces competing with me, including several members of UVM”s Freeski Team, which I serve as an officer for. Adrian Hayden, third year, will take a spot on the podium at the event.

“I’m really shocked I got second because of the level of skiing out there,” says Hayden. “Big shoutout to my boy Jack [Lasewicz] (one of my fellow officers for the Freeski Team) for landing some 3 swaps. Just honored to be on the podium at such a fun, good vibes event.”

We line up on the side of the course and up the stairs of the platforms, built with ramps for competitors to get speed. Viewers arriving early to score a good spot begin trickling in, so I spot some friends as I make my way toward the platform. On my first practice run, I get air on the side hit of a rail that I am certainly not yet skilled enough to slide, but I find that I do not have nearly enough speed to slide the tube at the bottom. After a few practice laps, I get used to the speed of the course, and have a run planned.

I’m pleasantly surprised when I find out one of the other female ski competitors is on telemark skis, which is extremely impressive and unique, especially when it comes to rails. Josie Baker, first year, is the vice president of the Telemark Ski Club, which is new to UVM this year.

“Tele club is bringing life to a once dying art,” says Baker. “So many skiers and non-skiers alike are being made aware of telemark and trying it out for the first time because of this club. It’s full of ideas and passion and they’re spreading into the community like a wildfire.” Telemark club offers free demos, free lessons, and shares the excitement of the sport.

“I was very nervous going into rail jam on teles, as I had just started dropping knee over winter break,” said Baker. “But I am honestly so glad I did it. Once I got my nerves out, I realized that I was hitting rails on teles! The support from the crowd, announcers, and fellow competitors is unmatched. Hopefully we can see some more free heel action next rail jam.”

The crowd is growing bigger now as DJ Cam Musial blasts loud EDM and house music, the energy building as we approach the start of the competition. As I stand behind the platform, I suddenly hear a loud gasp from the crowd before it falls silent with shock. “Can we get EMT’s down here now please!” someone frantically shouts into the microphone.

My friend, Javi Huta, is working the event with UVM Rescue and I see him make his way onto the course as my curiosity intensifies. The other competitors are looking around with the same curiosity, and it’s revealed that a competitor smacked his face against the flat tube, standing up with a bloody mouth and nose before finding out he lost two teeth in the incident. My body stiffens, fear taking over and causing me to tremble and question everything that could go wrong. That could happen to me, or worse.

As my distress settles, the practice round comes to an end, and now it’s time for the real competition to begin. The crowd is massive and rowdy now, and we’re instructed to line up behind the platforms instead of beside the course. People are holding up signs, including my friend Sofia Martins, who printed out a photo she took prior to the event of me wearing my pinnie with large block letters that say “I <3 KEAGZ.”

Before I can think or plan my first run, Siena Webb, communications coordinator for SSC, is telling me that it’s my turn to drop. I slide the flat tube, landing switch as I hear my friends scream my name with enthusiastic applause. A large Red Bull arch looms over me at the bottom of the course like a symbol of congratulations, and I celebrate by downing a winter edition Red Bull as familiar faces along the fence give me high fives and cheers. The taste of pear and cinnamon lingers on my tongue followed by an aftertaste of satisfaction and pure bliss.

I can’t help but give a wide smile as I think back on my first day sliding a rail in the fall. I never expected to find myself here, competing in rail jam myself, surrounded by the support of UVM’s extraordinary student body. Rail jam is by far my favorite event that the University has. My breath is no longer heavy, my veins now course with excitement, not petrified nerves, and my vision is no longer a blurred tunnel. The image now in focus is the breathtaking and inspiring culture that is UVM. The universe is in focus before me, and I’m in a state of exhilarated delirium thanks to SSC’s Pipe Dreams.

Keagen Lafferty ‘26