The forecasts were true. It was a snowy day on Union lawn last Thursday. Yeehaw! Twenty two tonnes of snow landed on Union Lawn on Thursday the 18th of September ready for punters to carve some fresh lines in the midst of a bustling campus. There was no better chance for ski bums to prove why they’d been skipping lectures for the slopes.
Rail Jam was an event set up in partnership with Red Bull and the Otago University Snow Sports Club (OUSSC). Twenty-four metres of scaffolding were erected in the middle of campus to support a set of slopes where eager punters could send their gnarliest tricks. Punters across campus gathered around the sidelines to cheer on their mates and get amongst the magic. We get that the drive to Wānaka is a bit of a ceebs, but they didn’t have to bring the slope to campus.
While some punters shot down the slopes to get a thrill, others were in it to win it. Critic Te Ārohi spoke with Caoimhe Heavey, who came first place in the female skiing category, chuffed to win a pair of Smith branded ski goggles. The Canadian athlete drove over to Ōtepoti with a group of mates hoping to get amongst the stoke. Oh how the turns have tabled, now the Wānaka folk are coming to Dunedin for the powder. She gloated about hitting a K-fed maneuver, a trick she did "for the people”. A K-fed is when the rider pulls a front swap followed by a blind 270° out on a rail or box. In layman's terms: it looked pretty cool.
Surprisingly, transporting twenty-two tonnes of snow into Dunedin is kinda hard. They originally planned to import their snow from Mount Dobson, but had to switch suppliers over to Ōhau Ski Field after a high wind warning. Former OUSSC-President and event organiser Peter Barlcay was super thankful to the Ōhau staff who shoveled and trucked around snow “for two whole days to try and get us enough snow.”
The group of tradies began constructing the scaffolding on Wednesday morning. Those who braved the 30-minute Pint Night queue were treated to the spectacle of a bickering Red Bull-fueled buffoon’s flawless assembly. A bunch of inpatient breathas were caught snatching a few Red Bulls when they had the chance. Mindful of students’ kleptomaniac streak around construction sites, the organisers erred on the side of caution and hired two security guards to stand watch overnight.
Another problem arose earlier on Ōhau. Peter told Critic that some of the snow “froze to the sides of the truck on the mountain” making it harder to transport it out. Through this experience, Peter learned that “you are going to have problems,” but they will never be the ones you expect.
Back in Dunedin, 6am on Thursday morning there were thirty volunteers on site waiting to get the snow on the ground. But when the trucks arrived on campus, the floodgates burst. As the backgates opened a waterfall of snowmelt dramatically escaped onto the concrete outside Auahi Ora. Though it caused a brief scare, there was still enough powder to keep the show on the road. Peter commented that “any less snow would've been catastrophic but it was the perfect amount to run a three and a half hour comp.”
Throughout the event, Union Lawn experienced four seasons in one day. While rain and hail swarmed into the event the punters stood strong, crowding the Union Building balcony for a better viewpoint. One of the athletes, Loise, adamantly told Critic, “We’re not made of sugar, so we won’t melt.” The snow might, though.
As many wipeouts as there were, Critic heard no word of any injuries. As one punter wryly noted, if OUSSC can pull this together with a month of preparation “give them two and they’ll overthrow the government.” The organisers celebrated the event’s success with an unrivaled cleanup effort. The leftover snow was distributed across OUSSC baddies’ backyards who were keen to continue the stoke.