Online exclusive: Bringing the mountain home

If you walked anywhere near Pioneer Square last Friday, you surely heard the bumping bass and the buzzing excitement of the Ford Campus Rail Jam Tour of 2011. As I approached the square, I was overcome by the sight of a giant, two-story-high scaffolding, which was set up and covered in snow. Gathered in the square was anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people, all standing and cheering for the multiple skiers and snowboarders who were doing jumps and tricks off the rails.

Located at the top of the square above the steps was the beer garden, but by the time 6 p.m. rolled around, the 15 kegs of free Widmer beer were already gone, and the party was well on its way. Throughout the rest of the event, staff members were throwing snow playfully at the crowd, as well as free stickers, Chap Stick, coupons for Vitamin Water and various other prizes.

Once the finalists took their last jumps, a majority of the crowd left, while those truly dedicated fans hung around to celebrate at the after-party. The categories were broken up into men and women skiers and snowboarders. Participant prizes included hand-crafted blankets, winter clothing such as jackets and pants and the top finalists were even given a cash reward. To see a list of the winners, check out the website at CampusRailJamTour.com.

If you missed it this year, fear not; for the past four years the finals have been held here in Portland, just keep an eye out in about a year for the 2012 finals. Campus Rail Jam Tour always attracts a large and vibrant crowd, and is truly an event that is not to be missed.