UMass WinterFest Rail Jam: Students Shred Snow, Celebrate Community

Months-ancient snow, accumulated in a horseshoe formation, served as the foundation for the annual WinterFest rail jam hosted by the University of Massachusetts Ski and Board club on Friday, February 27. The event drew a large crowd of students and onlookers to witness a freestyle skiing and snowboarding competition.

The creation of the course itself was a significant undertaking, requiring extensive manual labor. “We were here the last two days just shoveling snow for hours, building the lips, building the jumps,” said Etta Schnackenberg, a freshman marketing major at UMass. “It’s been a real team effort, so I’m super grateful.”

Competitors navigated the course, attempting various tricks to impress both judges and the assembled audience. William Harrington, a sophomore informatics major, expressed his intention to energize the crowd with a challenging maneuver. “I’m going to try a backflip and I’m probably not going to land it, but I’m going to try it given that it’s for the people,” Harrington stated. “My goal tonight is to fire up the crowd. It’s a big community event.”

Red Bull sponsored the rail jam, providing complimentary energy drinks to attendees. The event also featured live music and a DJ set, contributing to a lively atmosphere.

Sydney Drane, a friend of Schnackenberg’s from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, participated in the competition, seeking to refine her skills. “I’ve been riding for [about] 13 years, self-taught, but I’m still learning every day, shaking bad habits,” Drane said.

Preparation levels varied among the competitors. Some, like Mihai Gavala, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, favored a spontaneous approach. “There’s not a lot of [preparation], it’s mostly just send [it],” Gavala explained. Gavala, who has a 15-year background in ski racing, contrasted with Nathaniel Hylan, a sophomore civil engineering major, who had only begun skiing the previous year. Hylan felt little pressure, noting, “No nerves at all…everyone’s here to have fun, so there’s not a lot of pressure for someone who just started last year.”

Mitchell Devaux, a sophomore finance major originally from Colorado, brought extensive experience to the event. “I’ve been skiing since the womb,” Devaux said. “I’m from Colorado, so I’ve been out [on the mountain] my whole life.”

Despite the range of experience, a common passion for skiing and snowboarding united the participants. “Snowboarding has always been a deep passion of mine so it’s great to be out here,” said Joe Shermeta, a freshman architecture major. “It’s great to locate community at college with everyone else who shares a similar interest with me. It’s just such a blast.”

The competition yielded several winners, including three UMass students. Schnackenberg secured first place in the women’s snowboarding division, Karina Kruchynska, a senior biomedical engineering major, won the women’s skiing division, and Aidan Williams, a senior architecture major, claimed victory in the men’s snowboarding division.

Kruchynska expressed her excitement, stating, “even explain how ecstatic I was. It felt like a dream standing there in front of everyone looking at me, cheering me on. I won my first ever rail jam.” She also highlighted the demand for greater female participation in terrain park skiing and snowboarding. “If I could shout out anything, [it] would be to encourage more women to participate in competitions like this, it’s always inspiring to notice more girls going after it in the park,” Schnackenberg added.