THE CUT RAIL JAM RECAP
Photos by Ben Girardi
Under clear, sunny skies at the top of Whistler Mountain, the highly anticipated Cut Rail Jam, sponsored by Rockstar Energy and Skullcandy, brought live action sports back to the World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF) on Saturday, April 13th. Due to lower-than-usual snow levels in the valley, event organizers relocated The Cut Rail Jam to the top of the Emerald 6 Express Chair only days before the first riders dropped.
Naomi Urness
“It was a tough, but necessary call to move the event out of Skiers Plaza due to limited snow,” Contest Director Jen Girardi explained. “Our goal was to run a ski and snowboard contest that Whistler would be stoked on and it was a huge success. We can’t wait to make it bigger and better in 2025.”
Etienne Geoffroy-Gagnon
40 elite athletes were invited to compete, including Darcy Sharpe, Cameron Spalding, Finn Westbury, Jasmine Baird, Evan McEachran, Avery Krumme and more. The Cut Rail Jam delivered intense competition that entertained thousands of spectators of all ages.
The Cut
A $20,000 prize purse was divided equally across the four categories: ski women, snowboard women, ski men and snowboard men. To make it into the final heat, athletes had to pass two rounds of cuts. Three athletes were cut from each category in the first heat and two from the second heat, leaving a five-person final.
Jake Carney
The podium winners listed below received custom-designed Skullcandy Ounce wireless speakers as medals along with their cheques for $3,500, $1,000, and $500 for first, second and third, respectively.
Ski Women: 1st) Naomi Urness, 2nd) Avery Krumme, 3rd) Skye Clarke
Ski Men: 1st) Etienne Geoff-Gagnon, 2nd) Phil Gaucher, 3rd) Luke Smart
Snowboard Women: 1st) Jasmine Baird, 2nd) Billy Pelchat, 3rd) Bailey Birkkjaer
Snowboard Men: 1st) Darcy Sharpe, 2nd) Josh Lebrun, 3rd) Cameron Spalding
Jody Wachniak & Callum Pettit
Emcee Jody Wachniak said, “It’s really nice to see a rail jam of this scale back in Whistler. I can’t wait for next year.” Wachniak was joined on the mic by supporting emcees Mikey Ciccarelli and Callum Pettit, who kept the show rolling and engaged the crowd as they ripped the names of cut riders off the leaderboard. Head judge Harrison Gray led the panel of industry ski judges Grete Eliassen and Garrett Russell, alongside snowboard industry judges John Martin and Maria Thomsen.
DJ Ed:Win
DJ Ed:Win kept the vibes high in the Rockstar DJ Cat, and the events team gave away 2,000 cans of Rockstar to the crowd. The awards presentation went down in Skiers Plaza on the Skullcandy Stage, following a live performance by Charli 2na and Cut Chemist in front of a packed audience.
“The first year of The Cut presented by Rockstar Energy and Skullcandy exceeded all expectations. We can’t wait to do it again next year,” said Festival Director Brittia Thompson. “It would not have come to life without the expertise of Jen Girardi and her team at Alto MM.”
The World Ski and Snowboard Festival was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Creative BC, and the Province of BC. WSSF is proudly supported by Tourism Whistler, Skullcandy, Whistler Blackcomb, Oakley, Gogglesoc, Snowbus, Encore, Westin Resort and Spa Whistler, Forecast Ski Magazine, King Snow Magazine, Mountain FM, Scandinave Spa Whistler, Helly Hansen, Corona, Nutrl, Nature Valley, Whistler Executive Transport, Signal System, Daily Hive, Mark Anthony Group and Gibbons Whistler.
Learn more about the World Ski and Snowboard Festival at wssf.com.