Blunck places at season opener

Flairs, flat fives, nines and tens earn him $200

Training has been challenging for Crested Butte Mountain Sports team (CBMST) halfpipe and slopestyle specialists Aaron Blunck and Matt Evans.
“We’re doing the best with what we have,” says CBMST freeride head coach Woody Lindenmyer. “They’ve had a couple trips to Copper but their pipe and slope skiing has been limited. But we got all their tricks back from last year and have been able to progress it a little bit.”
The two athletes jumped immediately into the competition fray two weeks ago competing on the first stop of the Rev Tour at Copper Mountain.
“The Rev Tour is a stepping stone to the Grand Prix and eventually the World Cup,” explains Lindenmyer.
Evans and Blunck opened the weekend in the halfpipe and while Evans struggled with equipment issues, Blunck lit up the halfpipe on both his runs.
Linking together a Flair, Flat Five, back-to-back 900’s and a 1080 to finish on his first run, Blunck was primed to step it up on his second run.
“Aaron advanced handily to the finals,” says Lindenmyer.
Stepping in for his final run, Blunck had plans to close his run with one final 1280 but a miscue drained his speed and forced him to readjust his last move.
“On his second run he landed a little low so he knew he couldn’t get the 12 (1280) so he did another 10 (1080),” explains Lindenmyer. “It was still a fantastic finish and he skied really smart.”
Nevertheless, he closed the day stepping onto the podium for a second-place finish and a $200 payday.
Evans and Blunck lined up the next day for the slopestyle but the layout of the course trumped the two athletes.
“It definitely caused some problems and the boys never got into their routines,” says Lindenmyer. “Matt’s run was clean and he threw a Cork Seven that was really clean.”
The next stop for Blunck and Evans will be a Freeflow Tour event at Vail in mid-January.
“For not having a training facility they’re doing great. Those kids are amazing athletes,” says Lindenmyer.