Ah, Portland, home to the Wendy’s Invitational, the 3rd stop of the AST Summer Dew Tour. What makes this one different is the fact that Nike 6.0 ha been gracious enough to host a rail jam on site. Skiers from all over traveled to Oregon to partake in the event, a predecessor to the Winter Dew Tour.
With a single run to introduce the riders, followed by a 30-minute jam session was what determined the winner. The judges were looking for overall impression, not just a single trick. The loud music was blaring, the beer garden flowing and Luke Van Valin’s soothing voice presiding, the rail jam went off without a hitch. BAM.
All the riders were throwing down, 270s with multiple switch ups, Big Frank was buttering onto the down rail and a few 450s were even whipped around, much the the crowd’s delight. Needless to say, favorite Tom Wallisch took home the crown and $4,000. Native Albertan Ian Cosco managed to take home the silver and Joe Schuster, the target of many rumors, slid into the 3rd spot.
A short and sweet rail jam is just the beginning to what will become the largest action sports tour on the ski side of things. Many thanks go out to AST and Nike 6.0 (and all the other sponsors) for putting on such a professional rail jam and helping push the sport of skiing out there into the world.
