Okemo Mountain Resort

For immediate release
November 24, 2007

Contact: Bonnie MacPherson, director of public relations
Okemo Mountain Resort | 77 Okemo Ridge Road | Ludlow, VT 05149
802-228-1947 | bmacpherson@okemo.com

OKEMO'S WHAT I LEARNED THIS SUMMER RAIL JAM RESULTS

LUDLOW, VT. – Under bright sunny skies with the chill of winter in the air, skiers and snowboarders visiting Okemo Mountain Resort for the “What I Learned This Summer Rail Jam,” Saturday, Nov. 24, showed they were ready to transition from the skateboard to the snowboard and twintips with lots of new tricks and style. The course started with a choice of a flat box or rail, and proceeded to the resort’s newest feature, the Cota & Cota Propane Tank, and finished with a quarterpipe set perpendicular to the fall line. A field of 78 competitors registered for the rail jam. A prize purse of $500, provided by Christopher’s Restaurant of Ludlow, was awarded to the top competitors in three categories.

Ben Kadow, age 13, of Jamacia, Vt., took first place in the Men-15-and-Younger division. Second place went to Ryan Hartman, age 14, of Westport, Conn. Ben Farrow, age 15, of Mt. Holly, Vt., finished third

In the Men-16-and-Older division, 17-year-old Matt Shaffer, from Brownsville, Vt., took top honors. Second place went to Parker White, age 16, of Dorset, Vt., and third place went to Rex Calabrese, age 16, of Proctorsville, Vt.

Based on registration,  there was a single division for women. First place went to hometown favorite Maggie Seiple, age 19, of Ludlow, Vt. Garrison Rufa, age 17, of Chester, Vt., won second-place honors and rounding out the podium in third, was Jillian Atwood, age 18, of West Dover, Vt.

Okemo opened for the season on Nov. 16, and the “What I Learned This Summer Rail Jam” was the winter’s first competition. It took place on Bull Run, where a crowd of spectators gathered to watch the snowsliding antics of the athletes. With 26 of 117 trails open and eight lifts running, there was plenty of terrain for skiers and riders of all abilities. At the height of the season, Okemo offers six terrain parks and the SoBe Superpipe. In a recently published survey, SKI magazine’s readers recognized Okemo as number two in the East for Terrain Parks and fourth overall in North America. Last year, FREESKIER magazine published its staff picks for the best resorts and Okemo placed second in the East.

For more information about events at Okemo Mountain Resort, please call (802) 228-1600 or visit www.okemo.com.

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