Burton's famed Vermont rail jam, the Queen City Sessions, is returning as a marker of the coming season. This weekend, over 60 of New England's best snowboarders will convene on a city street in downtown Burlington to shred their hearts out on the scaffolding, boxes, and trucked-in snow. The rail jam has been a noticably absent event from the pre-season landscape for the last two years, and the buzz around town is fever-pitch for Queen City's return. With Stowe receiving fresh snow the last two weeks and dedicated hikers taking to the bootpack under the gondola, the park rats will get their day, too, before the lifts begin to turn.

Expect to see riders like Mike Ravelson, Shaun Murphy, Tanner McCarty, Dylan Dragotta, and more, vying for cash under the streetlights.

from Burton:

What: Snowboard competition, kickoff for the 2011 snowboard season, and salute to Vermont snowboarders.

Where: St Paul St, next to City Hall Park, Burlington, VT

When: November 6, 4:30-8:30 (Note: competition practice starts at 4:30pm, earlier than the time noted on the poster)

Registration: 10am-3pm, Burton Flagship Store, Burlington VT. $10 fee for ALL competitors. Invited riders must register to get their bibs. Open field is limited and will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.

Party: 9pm, Green Room, St Paul St, Burlington VT. Cocktail and PBR specials.

Further Info:

Burton is resurrecting this local event as a snowboard season opener as well as a blowout celebration for every person or organization with a stake in VT snowboarding. From the local carpooling kids to the core shops and resorts whose business are finally ramping up; the Queen City Sessions is a community event to the core.

Competitors will drop 15 feet to street level, gaining speed to hit one of the main features: the 36 battleship from Sugarbush that inspires the riders with the largest bag of tricks, or Stowe s unique Butterknife feature with potential that is limited only to the riders imagination. The comp venue finishes with a C-box/wall ride from Bolton Valley. Cash prizes total $1600. As this is a community event, there will be invited rider contingents from Darkside, Skirack, Theory, Eastern Boarder, Cutting Edge, UVMST, Champlain College, Johnson State, Sugarbush, and Stowe. Open registration for a limited number future Somebodys will be held at Burton Snowboards Flagship Store from 10am to 3pm on November 6th. There will even be a QCS edit contest between videographers from Johnson, Champlain, and UVM. Finally, local DJ s Bonjour-Hi! will be spinning throughout the competition.