If you went by Penticton’s City Hall over the last week, you may have spotted an unlikely sight, a ski hill in the middle of the city.
It was not a large one, but it was unmistakeably a ski hill, and it even had a rail for tricks on it.
On Jan. 20, people got to see the hill in action as 20 skiers and snowboarders climbed up the scaffolding just out of sight to take on the city’s first Rail Jam.
The event was one of several additions to the BCHL’s All-Star Weekend to make it into Penticton’s Frost Fest.
While the start of the event saw nice fluffy and fat flakes of snowfall, it tapered off into clear skies as the qualifiers started.
The athletes, ranging from local kids used to Apex Mountain to a skier from Sheffield in the U.K., all were competing for a range of prizes.
At the same time, they put on a show for a couple of hundred watchers, with instant replay of every run shown on a big screen next to the hill.
It was a unique event to see, and as the MCs put it,” 鶹AV doesn’t have a rail jam. Vernon doesn’t have a rail jam. Armstrong doesn’t have a rail jam. Penticton has a rail jam!”