With a rail jam running through the center of town, the ‘Silvaplana Rocks The Rail’ event attracted skiers, snowboarders and spectators alike
Just in time for the first major snowfall of the winter, the Silvaplana Winter Opening on 22–24 November 2024 rang in the official start of the new winter season in Silvaplana and Engadin. Among movie screeenings, concerts, parties and the official season opening of the Corvatsch ski area, the Silvaplana Rocks The Rail contest stood out as a highlight. The rail jam venue on the old Julierstrasse ran straight through the heart of Silvaplana, turning this picturesque Swiss village into a pop-up snowpark for the weekend.
The mood was festive on Saturday as riders began testing the course and a crowd of spectators gathered. The contest featured a pro category as well as several kids’ categories, allowing young freestylers to ride the same course as their older heroes. “The idea is really to bring these two generations together,” said Head of Competition Paolo LaFata. “More than anything it’s about being together, putting on a show and celebrating the start of the season.”
Jacco Bos (NED) and Bianca Gisler (SUI) won the pro snowboard contest. Bos shined with a smooth run including a cab hardway 180, back 360 out and a switch front blunt 270 out, while Gisler’s stylish back board 270 out and lipslide nose blunt helped her to the top of the podium. “It was super tight, super quick and just such a good vibe,” Bos said of the evening. “The crowd was amazing. Everyone was enjoying it so much, and that really kept us riders going with an amazing feeling.”
In the pro freeski category, Marta Silvestri (ITA) took the win among the women with a clean front swap and both way 270s out. Nils Rhyner (SUI) won the men’s event with switch 270s in both directions and a 450 on to switch. “It was a spontaneous decision to come here,” Rhyner said. “We thought it would be fun, and it definitely was. It was really a blast to ski through the village and hit rails.”
In the kids’ categories, Andri Erni and Lela Helfenstein cleaned up in the snowboard U15 men’s and women’s categories, while Nando Demke prevailed in the men’s U15 freeski contest.
Local rider and Silvaplana-Corvatsch ambassador Jeremy Denda spent the afternoon as co-host of the kids contest, before taking third place in the pro contest in the evening. “It was cool to see so many young kids enjoying the sport,” Denda said. “When I was little, it was events like this that motivated and inspired me to be like the pros, travel the world and snowboard for a job. It’s great to give that back to the kids and tell them that if they stick with it, they can make their dreams come true.”
After the on-snow action wrapped up, Zurich-based singer with Cuban roots Cachita got the crowd moving with her soulful blend of Latin, pop and hip-hop influences.
It was a fitting start to a historic winter season in the Engadin Valley as the region prepares to host the the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Marcfh 2025 with many medal decisions up on Corvatsch.
