$40,000 PEANUT BUTTER AND RAIL JAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2008 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam Championships went down Sat April 26th at Mammoth Mountain, CA!!

This year’s event featured a $40,000 cash purse, a live webcast on www.volcom.com, free food and of course, a ton of prizes! In addition to this, Oren Tanzer, Chris Zajec and the rest of the Mammoth Unbound crew once again put together a first rate PBRJ Champs contest site! Consisting of a 30ft down-lift-tower, a 6ft high flat rail and a monstrous up-flat-down-flat-down box monstrosity! Needless to say, this was more than enough to challenge even the most seasoned PBRJ veteran!

Mark Swoboda SW bs 180

This past weekend, kids of all shapes, sizes, nationalities and shades of neon-colored steez ventured to the Jungfrau region of Switzerland for the 2008 PBRJ Finals. Volcom Switzerland, led by “Snöber-Billy” had arranged for an amazing set-up right underneath the north face of the infamous Eiger Mountain.

This being Europe, we of course also provided all qualified riders with free dinner Friday night, 2 days of accommodation and breakfast on Saturday morning. Picture 60+ kids, sponsored riders and less than a handful parents all scattered over one youth hostel (that was closing down the Sunday after the event and had to drain the bar for the summer, but that’s another story)

The 17th and final regional stop on the 2007/08 North American Peanut Butter and Rail Jam tour went down Sat April 12 at Keystone Resort, Colorado!

Keystone has been making some serious moves in the art of terrain park construction over the past few years so we were more then a little intrigued as to what the park crew would assemble for the PBRJ. Needless to say, we weren’t disappointed! The contest site consisted of a down-flat-down box, a flat-down culverts/barrels and an imposing down-rail. After hitting the features, competitors had the option of unstrapping right away or getting tricky on a quarterpipe. As if this wasn’t enough, Jason George and his crew also created three huge mounts of snow that would be used as drop-ins for the features! Well-played boys!

The 15 and Under Division kicked the PBRJ proceedings off at high noon with an formidable onslaught of jibbery that won’t soon be forgotten! The three features were defenseless and systematically slaughtered out in the open! Competitors and spectators alike looked on in horror as rippers like Dustin Eldridge and Hunter Velds put on a show that our future kids will hear about some day. After the 15 & Under finals wrapped up, it was Dustin Eldridge taking 1st, Michael Wickenheiser 2nd and Hunter Velds a close 3rd!

The 16th stop of the 2007/08 North American Peanut Butter & Rail Jam tour flew off the handle Saturday April 5th at Brighton Mountain, UT!

This year marked our 3rd annual pilgrimage to the land of good morals and single-shot cocktails. Brighton has a great scene going on in the Salt Lake City area so we were stoked to return once again! There are a few things that make our visits memorable: at the top of the list would have to be the shredding! Riders there have things figured out and don’t hold back when the opportunity to throw down arises. The second notable aspect of the Utah vibe is definitely fashion. Everyone at the hill is part of a distinct crew that exhibits a distinct style. Whether it’s a belt/Nintendo controller cord, remarkably tight stitched-in pants, or tall teez to the kneez, no shortage of creativity goes into their ensembles.

The 15th stop on the 2007/08 North American Peanut Butter & Rail Jam tour went down at Vancouver’s Mount Seymour Sun March 30, 2008!

Before I get to the riding portion of this article, I’ve got to first note the insane amount of hard work and creativity that went into the custom PBRJ setup. Among other upstanding chaps, Mark Williams, Sean Keating, Matt Heneghan, Danny Koriath and Leroy Seymour had a vision and rallied a huge crew to help see it through to fruition! From the feature dubbed “The Brown Monster” to the down-flat butter-pads, this was a top-notch contest site that was born of sweat, beer and European cigarettes. Check the photos and video to see what I’m talking about.

Photos: Volcom

Sunday the 16th of March was the kick-off for the 2008 version of Volcom's Peanut Butter and Rail Jam event, this time in the scenic village of Madonna Di Campiglio, high up in the Italian Dolomites.

Somehow, surprisingly, a dark, negative and stomry low-pressure descended upon the normally oh-so sunny village of Madonna exactly on the day of our event, making it hard for the organizers to decide whether to go on as planned or cancel, as banners, tents and even rails were all over the place in the gusting wind and the visibility was as clear as in a certain place where the sun never shines.

The 14th stop of the 2007/08 North American Peanut Butter & Rail Jam tour slammed into the Canadian Rockies at Lake Louise, AB Sat March 22, 2008!

As the PBRJ tour has evolved over the past seven seasons, we’ve had the opportunity to grow close with the resorts and their terrain. This statement couldn’t be more true when it comes to Lake Louise. 2008 marks our 5th annual pilgrimage to the land of steep mountains and those who’ll tell a good story given the chance. Though the faces have shifted over the years, the vibe, atmosphere and attitude have remained the same. Danielle Sherman is the new girl holding down the special events scene at Lake Louise and did a good job making us feel at home!

It was a long time since a PBRJ was organized in the Pyrenees, and that Saturday was actually the first one in La Molina, Cataluna. This winter has not been generous with snow in general all around Europe, but the shapers from the snowpark are doing a good job by providing really fun and rippable terrain all winter long.

Around 85 contestants from all over Spain and even from the French side of the mountains signed up at the contest, ready to deal with the 3 obstacles prepared for us. Set up consisted of one box, one “San Francisco” (up-flat-down) and two Picnic tables.

Photos: Volcom

The 2007/08 North American Peanut Butter & Rail Jam tour made it through treacherous stop #13 without a single slaughtering or demented serial killer in sight!

This weekend we found ourselves in Nova Scotia, which is just about as far East as you can go in North America without taking a dip in the Atlantic Ocean (little cold right now). Nova Scotia means “New Scotland” and is has enough cool things to do and see to keep you busy for quite a while! Of course, no visit to the Canadian Maritimes would be complete without a little sightseeing at Peggy’s Cove. Located about an hour Southwest of the Province’s capital of Halifax, Peggy’s Cove is a tiny fishing village right on the coast that seems as if time has forgotten it. While the old, brightly coloured houses and lobster fishing ships are all groovy; the main attraction of any visit to Peggy’s Cover has got to be the ancient lighthouse. It stands on the rocks just a few feet from the water and has guided ships in the area for centuries.

The 12th stop on the 2007/08 Peanut Butter & Rail Jam tour hit Stratton Mtn, VT and some questionable (horrible) weather Sat March 8, 2008!

Where do I start on this one? Never having been to Stratton for a PBRJ, anticipation in the Volcom camp was running rampant! In case you just moved to earth or are getting your jihad on in the Middle East, Stratton Mountain lays claim to being one of the hot spots that has gotten snowboarding to where it is today. Would I lie to you? The answer is no. In addition to being the home of the prestigious US Open and several other traditions, the resort can now say it has tasted some Peanut Butter & Rail Jam!