Big Air event suffers last minute crash

Getting stuck in legalities and liabilities…

Big Air on Elk 2009 has become the latest victim of cautiousness and legal liability. While local business Colorado Freeskier was organizing the event for this Saturday, March 14, Crested Butte Mountain Resort had to rescind its offer of a snowcat to build the jump.

The Big Air on Elk event was held between 2005 and 2007. Snowmobiles would pull skiers and boarders from Second Street to a giant jump at Third and Elk. The spectacle would draw hundreds of people. Participants would get huge air and pull tricks. Not all of them landed without incident.
“We were trying to make it work and we really wanted to do it, but the timing aspect along with legalities and liabilities stopped us,” explained CBMR vice president of sales and marketing Daren Cole.

“We were behind the idea but by the time it got to the company’s risk management group, the idea of taking one of our snowcats offsite raised a lot of red flags. We needed 30 days to get an (insurance) rider and we just ran out of time.
“We asked the snowcat company if they could bring one in, but (the machines) were already in use all over the country. It is unfortunate that legalities drive this type of decision,” Cole added.
Gabe Martin, one of the owners of the Colorado Freeskier and an organizer of the event, was disappointed with the last-minute cancellation. “Once we heard that one of our major sponsors was pulling out, we had to pull the plug at the end of last week,” he said. “We are disappointed. We know there were lots of people really looking forward to it, including a lot of the businesses downtown. I have to say the town staff was great. They were very cooperative and supportive.”
Martin said they asked about using the snowcat in town that grooms the Nordic tracks, but was told that cat was mechanically limping along and shouldn’t be counted on to mold a jump.
“We’ll definitely pursue this and do it next year,” said Martin.
Crested Butte town manager Susan Parker said the town was ready to help coordinate the event. “We had met with the fire district and ambulance crew and had put together a safety plan,” she said. “We were ready to help move the snow onto Elk and get it off by Sunday morning. The council can take a look for next year if they want to bring it back.”
Cole said that it is likely the resort will be supportive of the event for next year. “We were behind the idea but unfortunately the timing and legal aspects got in the way,” said Cole. “We are definitely into it for next year.”
Getting approval for this year’s proposed event was not without controversy. Several Elk Avenue-based businesses complained that closing the street to set up the event hurt their businesses. But on a split vote, the Town Council had voted to approve the Big Air on Elk event.
The event was being proposed by the Freeskier as a fundraiser for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center.