2nd Annual Stroll Jam a Hit at 2013 Holiday Stroll

This year the 2nd Annual Zimmermann's Stroll Jam at the Winter Holiday Stroll drew a huge crowd to Nashua's Main Street, for a freestyle ski and snowboard competition with local qualifiers.

Pre-show prep included two giant starting ramps, eight dump trucks full of snow, 40 skiers and snowboarders, one mobile DJ booth provided by RedBull, and a light tower fit for the NFL. All this and more combine at the hands of Stefan Hausberger and Aaron Doherty to create a legit urban snowsports event in the heart of Nashua's downtown.

Prior to the competition, Northface pro freestyle skier Nick Martini met with three local competitors – Alex Fogelgren, 18, of Amherst, Nate Ibarra, 18, of Milford, and Alex Kuhnert, 17, of Amherst, at the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce office, chosen from a hand-in photo contest to have a chance to talk with Martini over lunch, provided by Margarita's of Nashua, about the tricks of the trade.

Martini, a Massachusetts native, spent many years on the freestyle ski circuit based primarily in Boulder, Colo., eventually shifting his energy toward filmmaking and developing Stept Productions, which takes a look at urban and freestyle skiing from the inside out.

He says the East Coast is primetime for urban skiers because it provides a backdrop of historic architecture and angles against the edgy antics of freestyle skiers (think skateboarders without wheels, on snow). 

 “The idea is to take skiing to places that people don’t think about skiing in. Big production companies like Teton Gravity Research, will focus on getting shots in Alaska, Patagonia, The Himalayas –  remote places that humans rarely travel to. I’m trying to bring out skiers to places that they would never think to go: parking structures, stairways, abandoned buildings,” Martini said. 

Winners of the 2013 Holiday Stroll Jam were: 

• Best Overall Skier: Cody Barna won a spot on APO Local Heroes Team

• Best Overall Snowboarder: Tyler Redes won a spot on APO Local Heroes Team

• Best Trick Ski: Sean Thompsonwon a pair of DALBELLO Fusion IDs

• Best Trick SB: Taylor Roche won a pair of DEELUXE Snowboard Boots