This past Saturday, downtown Houghton hosted the 2nd annual Jibba Jabba Rail Jam after a 10-year break. Jibba Jabba is an event where a course of rails, jumps, and other features are set up for snowboarders to perform tricks on, and then to be scored for awards at the end of the event. The event was set up on Huron St. and Sheldon Ave. and continued down to the Houghton Waterfront Pier. Due to the somewhat irregular amount of snow this year, it was more difficult to prepare than in years past. Once the snow was in place, local builders took the features and set them up to design a unique course.The course was designed by Dustin Reed, a local who is affiliated with Rhythm.
The participation for this event was by invitation only. Some of the best snowboarders in the Midwest competed for a chance to win a $1000 cash prize. This included a few locals from the Keweenaw including Dustin Reed, Sawyer Silvola, Charlie Vandermarc, Eddy Anderson and Ben Jewel.
The winners of this year’s Jibba Jabba were Nate Bujarski for best trick in Round One, Garrett McKenzie for best trick in Round Two, Jack McPherson for Best Overall in Men’s, and Jayva Jordan for Best Overall in Women’s. The audience for the event consisted of locals, Michigan Tech students, and even Michigan Tech alumni who travel just to see the event.
While this year’s Jibba Jabba has come to pass, there are still other outdoor winter events to participate in this season. Mount Bohemia hosts an outdoor Lantern-Lit snowshoe hike every Friday from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. until Mar. 1, and is also hosting their annual Mardi-Gras on Mar. 2.
