Article and Photos // Jake Sullivan
November 23, 2025
Cali Carlson. Back Board Same Way.
Early-season rail jams are a rite of passage for any East Coast snowboarder. We travel all over New England for these events, reconnecting with old friends and shaking the rust off our legs after a long summer of claiming to have skated more than we actually did. The setups are always sketchy and bigger than anyone is ready for, but we still throw ourselves down some rusty rails on top of sheet ice in celebration that snowboard season has finally returned.
Over the years, we’ve seen lots of different events come and go. Rome Snowboard’s “Pre-Jib” tour and Burlington’s “Queen City Rail Jam” are just a few ghosts of the past in the ever-shrinking genre that is grassroots snowboarding events. But through it all, one contest has lasted for over 20 years: Killington’s “Loaded Turkey Rail Jam”. Held towards the end of November, instead of competing for cash or massive prize bags, riders on the podium take home some Thanksgiving dinner staples: cranberry sauce for third place, stuffing for second, and a full-size turkey for first. I won the event in 2004, but during the ride down, I dropped the frozen bird, and it went sliding off into the woods somewhere off Great Northern. It’s been twenty-one years, and it’s still never been found, they say. Fortunately, awards now take place in the K1 lodge.
This year, park crew pulled off a last-minute miracle, building an awesome plaza-style setup the night before with four solid lines and some unique combo features. Killington legend and Darkside OG Jay “Rosey” Rosenbaum was on the megaphone all day, leaving no one safe from being heckled for too many 50-50s or riding skis. The field of men and women battled it out for two thirty-minute heats each, and in the end, Darkside team riders Cali Carlson and Syra Wolf took home some dinner with a first-place finish in Open Women’s and second place in Grom Girls, respectively. It was a great event and a fun kickoff to the new season. Thanks to park crew for the new build and we’ll see you at the next one!
