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Steamboat Springs — David Lamb had a rough end to last ski season when a February skiercross competition course in Snowmass suddenly rearranged the ligaments and bones holding his knee together.

The injury was an unexpected setback for the Steamboat Springs native and talented Alpine racer, who was looking to cross disciplines and establish a foothold in the world of competitive freeskiing.

After a summer of intensive rehab and physical therapy, Lamb was back skiing at Steamboat on Dec. 1. He was soon racing on a skiercross course, competing at the first Jeep King of the Mountain series event, Dec. 15 in Telluride.

Now Lamb has a chance to regain his freestyle competition swagger, performing in front of a home crowd, from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Steamboat Rail Rodeo competition at Steamboat Ski Area.

Ski area spokesperson Heidi Thomsen said the competition will incorporate two features, a 30-foot descending barrel rail and a 30-foot "flat-down-flat" box. A sizable field of invited male and female ski and snowboard competitors will include many local members of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club's freestyle programs, as well as a contingent of the ski area's 2007-08 Steamboat Mavericks Freeride Team. The free event will take place on the Stampede trail and feature live music from DJ Also Starring.

Lamb returns as the defending men's ski champ of the local event held last season.

"It's great for body awareness and just going out and having fun," Lamb said, referring to the stark contrast between jam-style events versus the head-to-head rigor of skiercross and Alpine events. "There's a lot more sportsmanship and a different interpretation of what's good and right : you come through a rail competition and everyone's cheering, pushing each other to one-up each other and to progress."

While last year's rail event was part of the Jeep Terrain Park Challenge - one that earned winners berths to regional qualifiers for a series national championship - Friday's event will be for bragging rights and cash prizes for the podium finishers.

Thomsen said the competitors will be entered for a chance to help event sponsor Red Bull design a "dream feature" to be installed at the ski area this winter, in a location to be determined.

- To reach Dave Shively, call 871-4253

or e-mail dshively@steamboatpilot.com