Guest post from fellow snowboarder’s Jonathan Tollefson and David Zemens recapping last weekend’s Plymouth Ice Fest and Rail Jam.
Last weekend we headed down to the Plymouth Ice Festival for some ski and snowboard fun. We didn’t know what the event was going to look like and we didn’t know what to expect. All we knew was that the O-Park was going to be there supporting the snow scene with a rail set up for the public to shred.
The event started on Friday night and ran till mid day Sunday. Ice sculptures were being produced on spot, the smell of food was in the air, and snow was piled up ready for us to drop. We were expecting 100’s of kids waiting in line for an hour to get one run in, and the exact opposite happened. In fact we had to take breaks because we were able to drop in so much.
The O-Park Setup
The setup was nothing like we expected. We thought we were going to be dropping in on the same setup that was at the Birmingham Rail Jam, but when we got there all we saw was one little battleship-type box that led into a wall ride. All we could think was “really, is that all they have?”
Well we signed the waivers, strapped up our boots, and took our skills to the mini battleship. It ended up being a huge hit. We rode that thing for a good two and a half hours. Friendships were made, everyone was pushing each other to another level, and it felt as though we were putting on a show as small crowds would gather around to watch.
All in all we were stoked that we took the time to head out to the Plymouth Ice Festival. Who would have ever thought that something so small would be so fun? Everyone who had a board on their feet had a smile on their face, and everyone who came to watch was probably wondering how they could get on a board and try it out. If there are more open fun rail jam events like there was at the Plymouth Ice Festival the ski and snowboard industries will do nothing but grow.
Quick edit from David Zemens and Shredding the Gnar.
About Jon
Jon grew up in MN and has been living in MI now for 4-years, snowboarding for over 12-years. When he’s not out getting after the local scene, Jon works with the MHSSA’s Snowboard Association and is involved with the Middle Earth Snow Series. Jon’s goal is to introduce more people to the snowboard world and writes about various boardsports throughout the year on his blog at jonathantollefson.com
About David
Born in Detroit and a life-long Michigan resident and started skiing at 10, learned how to snowboard at Crystal Mountain when I was 14 or 15 and became an avid rider in the last 4-5 years.
David tries to get out west with some friends at least once a winter, the rest of the season is spent at local places like Pine Knob, Mt. Holly and Alpine Valley. Check out David’sShredding the Gnar Snowboard Blog.
Written by: J. Dodge