To kick off the 2012 to 2013 winter season, Keystone Resort in Colorado held the Back to the Grind Rail Jam during their opening weekend celebration. Hundreds of skiers and snowboarders turned out for the event, which was held under the lights at the base of the River Run trail. The set-up consisted three features, a flat-down box, down rail, and double kink rail, and was the scene of heavy action throughout the evening event. Each rider tried to outdo the other by stomping their best tricks on the technical features in front of a sprawling, rowdy crowd. After several heats, it all came down to the judges, who awarded the top men and women for their valiant efforts.

We reached out to Emily Blewitt, a local pro who earned first place in the women’s snowboarding division, for her take on all the action. Read on to see what she had to say and click the photo above to view the gallery.

What was the overall vibe of Keystone’s Back to the Grind Rail Jam?
The overall vibe was really mellow and fun. It just seemed like everyone was stoked to be back on the snow for the season and hitting new rails with all their friends. It was great!

What was your favorite rail and what was the best trick you stomped on it?
My favorite rail was the DFD (down, flat, down) donkey. My best trick was probably a front-lip to switch.

What was your favorite part of the contest?
I liked that the finals were all of the classes combined and a good 30 minutes in length. This way riders weren’t standing around getting cold waiting for their short finals heat. There was always somebody hitting a feature, but it wasn’t congested or hard to drop in. It was a really great format for a rail jam.

What did you win?!
I won a $250 Visa gift card, which was pretty sick. And Phunkshun sponsored the event so I got one of their beanies too.

Sponsor shout-outs?
Signal Snowboards, Gatorade AM Program, CandyGrind, 720 Boardshop, Keystone Freeride Team

Check out Emily and the other competitors in this video of the Back to Grind Rail Jam:

Final Results:

Women’s Skiing
1) Nadia Gonzales
2) Katrina Siegfried

Men’s Skiing
1) Ben Smith
2) Tyler Kamenick

Men’s Snowboarding
1) Joe Mango
2) Jeff Deforge

Women’s Snowboarding
1) Emily Blewitt
2) Erika Vikander

Photos courtesy of Tucker Burton/Keystone Resort
Video courtesy of Dustin Farrenkopf/Keystone Resort