Jam 4 Cans brings the slopes to the city

POST FALLS — Snow sprayed behind 12-year-old Seth Dye’s skis as he landed a jump under the darkening Saturday night sky.

Upbeat music was pumping from the speakers, a lively crowd was gathered and dozens of skiers and snowboarders, like Seth, were capitalizing on the precious last mounds of snow that had been gathered and built into half pipes and jumps for the Jam 4 Cans Charity Rail Jam in the parking lot of Summit Ministries in Post Falls.

Because when the mountains are calling, don’t just answer — make them come to you.

“It’s fun,” said Seth, of Hayden. “I like how energetic it is out here and how everybody is just having a good time.”

This marked the 10th anniversary of the Jam 4 Cans series, which consists of freestyle contests with prizes and at the core, a charitable cause. A couple Jam 4 Cans Rail Jams are held at area ski mountains to collect food and donations for local food banks, with the final event taking place at Summit Northwest. Just last year, organizer and contest director Caleb Foss said Jam for Cans brought in $1,000 and about 2,000 pounds of food.

“Every year, things get a little smoother and we’re able to put on a more quality event,” he said. “At the same time, every year we recognize things that we can do better. We do feel like we’ve certainly accomplished some things at our 10-year mark here, but there’s so much possibility that we see with the event as well.”

He said what he’s excited about is the noticeable difference that is being made in the local ski and snowboard community.

“The purpose of the events is to help the food bank, but our overall goal is a little larger than that,” he said. “We want to inspire ski and snowboard culture to look for ways to make a positive difference in the community, and we’re starting to see that happen, especially in the last few years.”

Participants of all ages strolled up to the registration table hauling bags containing the 15 cans of food donations required to compete, then strapped on their gear to jump, slide, grind and soar through the air to show off their board and ski skills for the judges. They were evaluated on difficulty, style, consistency, landing and variety, and people came from all over the Northwest to join in the fun.

“It’s good, honestly they built the whole ramp and everything, it’s way better. The drop’s a little bit longer, you got a little more setup time,” said Austin Middleton, who grew up in Coeur d’Alene and has competed in several past Jam 4 Cans events. “And they didn’t have to bring in snow this year, which is nice, so we actually have real snow instead of shaved ice.”

Jam 4 Cans also included an appearance by pro skier and former event winner Noah Wallace, who signed autographs and added to the excitement.

“I think it’s a great way to get rid of all the ugly, dirty snow,” Coeur d’Alene resident Jill Damschen said with a laugh as she waited to see her grandson, Maxwell Damschen, hit the man-made slopes.

She said bringing a ski and snowboard event like this into town is a great idea.

“It’s easier for those of us who don’t ski to get to these events,” she said. “Maxwell is about as excited as Maxwell gets. He’s pretty chill.”

Info: www.jam4cans.com