Cal State Long Beach’s ski and snowboard team broke out their boards in 78-degree weather Thursday to host a snowboard competition on the steps of the Walter Pyramid.
Twenty tons of snow – made from shaved ice – covered the stairs and patted down the fake grass, making a smooth ride down for snowboarders. The second annual Snow Rail Jam, which was held from noon to 4 p.m., featured a snowboard and skiing competition with giveaways and freebies from sponsors like Red Bull.
Hordes of students crammed into the railing, hoping to catch t-shirts, beanies, cans of Red Bull, hats and many other things during the product toss.
“It’s pretty cool that it’s at school; I’ll look into (the team) now,” junior mechanical engineering major Evan Spiessl said.
Renee Chin, senior chemical engineering major, said the best part of the event was having “the October sun with snow at your feet.”
Spectators at the event said they were impressed by the team’s competition.
“The coolest part is seeing the concentration in their faces,” Noah Resto, a junior creative writing major, said. “That’s some magic powder right there.”
Catherine Alexander, a freshman economic major, was the only female skier in the competition.
“It’s cool being able to talk to people about snowboarding and them getting it,” Alexander said.
The competition was judged by one of the sponsors, Flux Bindings, a snowboard binding company. Competitors were judged based on trick difficulty, style and what feature they chose to use. Awards were given out for first through third places as well as best trick and best wipeout.
“It was fun seeing everyone do the tricks, and I love free stuff,” undeclared freshman Johnny Meng said.
Students interested in joining the team can email csulbsnow@gmail.com for more information.