Snow Meets Hip-Hop at the UnderArmour 3rd Rail Jam, January 29

Hip-hop, urban edge and art hit the slopes

The UnderArmour 3rd Rail Jam, a grassroots snow competition, is making a stop at Echo Mountain, Colo., January 29. The 3rd Rail Jam is a winner-take-all rail jam event where up to 150 amateur riders compete for cash prizes and limited edition prizes in four divisions: 15 and under, all girls, best of breed, and skiers.

The event also features a freestyle MC bunker battle, live graffiti art by some of North America's notorious graffiti crews, and hip-hop music.

The afterparty (and MC battle) in conjunction with the Echo Mountain event will take place at Summit Music Hall (1902 Blake St., Denver) at 9 p.m. Admission is $20.

EVENT DETAILS

Mashup the nation’s best amateur skiers and riders with an unleashed hip-hop influence and you’ve got the renowned Under Armour 3rd Rail Jam. Making the rounds again for 2011, the Under Armour 3rd Rail Jam will offer three additional resort stops for a total of eight across the nation. This tour will showcase some of the best in snowsports with a series of winner-takes-all rail jams, slopeside graffiti art, MC battles, hip-hop music and off-the-hook after-parties.

The grassroots snow competition series comes to Echo Mountain in Colorado on January 29. The afterparty will take place at Summit Music Hall (1902 Blake St., Denver) at 9 p.m. Admission is $20.

The Under Armour 3rd Rail Jam draws aspiring amateur riders to resorts nationwide. Up to 150 riders per stop will compete in a winner takes all competition conducted in true jam format. Judges are present at all features to provide the best scoring coverage possible. Each division will be competing for cold, hard cash and additional prizes.

Hip-hop culture reigns supreme at the Under Armour 3rd Rail Jam where notorious graffiti crews offer up live painting demos and a freestyle MC competition pits eight local MCs against one another in “The Battle Below Zero.”

On tap again this year is the tour’s popular MC Battle Below Zero, where rappers compete to win a $500 cash prize, a featured performance at the event’s after party, and an interview on Slacker Radio, www.Slacker.com/3rdRailJams.

The Under Armour 3rd Rail Jam has been part of artist trajectories such as Kay M who won in 2009 and later toured with Jay-Z. Additionally, last year’s champ, A-class, is now a mainstay in the Grind Time battle circuit. We are looking for eight MC's from each one of the Under Armor 3rd Rail Jam tour stops to test their skills in this competition. The rules are simple, send your best track to battlebelowzero@gmail.com. It cannot exceed four minutes and must be clean, edited music with NO PROFANITY. Each MC will perform this track to the massive crowds at 3rd Rail Jam and be judged on creativity, crowd reaction, lyrics and vocal delivery. Judges include a local hip hop writer from your city, 3rd Rail’s event producer, Timmy Grins, and the official tour DJ's, DJ Image and DJ Dolamarx. And hip-hop star, Wu-Tang’s Raekwon, will make a special appearance!

AFTER PARTY AT SUMMIT MUSIC HALL

The event’s energy continues as each rail jam is followed by pulsating after-parties that feature the hottest DJs, break dance crews and live hip-hop performances. Events sponsors include some of the biggest names in fashion, action sports and technology such as Under Armour, Kangol, Bern, Beats by Dr. Dre, 33Third, Grenade and Launch Snowboards, Ninthward Skis; additionally, the United States Marine Corp has recently signed-on as a full tour sponsor. At each stop of the tour, sponsors will have a presence to showcase their latest product lines and conduct giveaways for attendees.

3rd Rail has partnered again with Slacker to create a customized online radio station for the tour. The 3rd Rail Jam station is filled with original hip-hop, rock, funk, and soul taken completely from DJ Image’s impressive 20,000-plus record collection. Listen at www.Slacker.com/3rdrailjams. 3rd Rail’s non-profit partner this year is Amped4aCure. Five dollars of every registration will go to this beneficiary.

The competition is open to four divisions: 15 and under, all girls, best of breed and skiers. For more information, or to register for the 3rd Rail events, go to www.3rdrailjam.com. Registration is $20. There is no admission to be a spectator. Registration starts at 10 a.m. and the competition begins at 12 p.m.

This year, Under Armour is also going to give fresh new jackets to the park crew with the sickest build on this year’s tour.

See video: http://www.youtube.com/user/The3rdRailTV