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Snow skills

Rail Jam and Big Air competitions on March 11 drew more competitors of different ages.
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Harley Everson slides the flat-down-flat rail during the Murray Ridge Rail Jam March 11. Everson took second place in the Rail Jam competition and second place in the Big Air competition as well

It was another weekend of competition at the Murray Ridge Ski Hill on Sunday, March 11.

The hill held another terrain park competition for the second weekend in a row to give the community a chance to put their skills to the test.

The small number of competitors signed up in the morning had the organizers concerned there would be too few competitors, and the Rail Jam was initially cancelled, but a rush of entrants mid-day ensured both the Rail Jam and the Big Air competitions had enough competitors to take place, and even enough for two age categories.

A sizable crowd of spectators gathered in the terrain park after 1 p.m. and the Rail Jam started things off, with competitors sliding a line of three rails, with each competitor having a chance at three runs through.

There were a few minor crashes coming off the rails, but nothing serious and some of the local talent who were away the weekend before were back in town.

The 13 and under age category saw strong performances by both Kobe Russel and Jayden Greenaway, with Russel winning a helmet from Evolve for first place and Greenaway winning $25 in cash.

In the 14 and older category, Quinn Moeller won goggles from Evolve for first place, despite a fall on one run, but some impressive smooth runs otherwise. Harley Everson won a helmet from the sponsor for second place with his performance, and Hayley Sullivan won $15 for third.

The Big Air competition also saw some impressive feats, including some skiers riding into the biggest jump switch and some landing switch, and some inverted airs - which means the skier or boarder goes upside down.

In the 13 and under category, Oscar Croucher won a helmet for his first place finish, Josh Hilde won $40 for second place, and Jayden Greenaway took home $15 for third.

In the 14 and over category, Liam Willick took home goggles for first place, Harley Everson won $75 for second and Hayley Sullivan won a helmet for third.

With a bigger turnout than the weekend before, the hill was hoping to build even more enthusiasm for the Slush Cup weekend of games and competition on March 17 and 18, after the paper went to press. The weekend-long series of events marks the ending of the hill’s ski season, with the hill tentatively scheduled to close after April 1 for lift maintenance which will need to take place this spring.

For more photos of the big air and rail jam events, you can check out the Murray Ridge Ski Hill and Terrain Park page on Facebook.