Our Story

Back in 2020, Justin Tarasoff spotted the handrail outside TRU’s Old Library on a campus tour. He did what any rider would do and tried to ride it. Security kicked him out.

Instead of letting it go, he turned it into a Tourism Management class project. In November 2023, the rail got its first sanctioned session: real snow on the stairs, riders lined up at the drop, and way more people showing up than anyone planned for. Rail Riot was born.

Rail Riot has never been a corporate event. TRUSU’s Out Here Ski & Snowboard Club runs it, and students and riders shovel the snow, and build the setup. A crew of invited riders from across BC brings the tricks, and a whole campus and city show up to make it loud.

Our partners back us every year, from Red Bull and Sun Peaks Resort to The Truth Skate & Snow and Spoke Bike & Ski, plus local businesses who help keep it free for everyone. It’s built by people who care about this rail, for anyone who wants to watch it get sent.

2023 — Rail Riot 1. A class project becomes the first sanctioned session on the rail. The crowd catches everyone off guard.

2024 — Rail Riot 2. The Out Here club joins for event management, Red Bull, Sun Peaks, and The Truth sign on, and the crowd gets a whole lot bigger.

2025 — Rail Riot 3. The breakout year: about 40 riders from across BC and roughly 1,500 spectators.

Year four is here. On Friday, November 20, 2026, the Old Library handrail lights up again, with bigger partners, a bigger crowd, and the same raw energy that started it all. Tourism Kamloops is in, Red Bull is back, and the price of admission hasn’t changed: it’s still free.

What started as one rider getting kicked off a handrail is now Kamloops’ rowdiest tradition, and it belongs to everyone who shows up.