The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Bigger, longer, and more stuff to do…
By Mark Reaman
The Big Air on Elk extravaganza is looking to possibly make a comeback in Crested Butte. Big Air organizer Corey Tibjlas e-mailed the town clerk, the Marshal’s Office and the Town Council asking that they consider allowing him to “reboot” the event in the coming winter. The council on Monday indicated they would consider the request but would need a lot more information.
The event was for years a staple in March, as the organizers would close down Elk Avenue and set up a big snow jump. Skiers and boarders would be towed by snowmobiles to the jump at Third and Elk, where they would perform tricks for the crowd. Insurance timing issues put the kibosh on the event two years ago and now Tibjlas is hoping to revive the spectacle.
“My chief concern about events previous, is that we were always operating on a razor’s edge. … I have solved many of the risky challenges the event is exposed to as I vowed to not bring this back until I could take it to the next level at the top of industry standards,” Tibjlas wrote. “After speaking with many Elk Ave. business owners, and to diversify the event in the case of a weather cancellation, we are looking to increase the live music aspect of the event, both on site and in venues across town. As the street must be closed for three days for a four-hour event, we are looking to add a second night of entertainment on the Friday before the jump exhibition.”
Tibjlas requested “a soft hold on dates until we can ensure snow availability. Essentially blocking off a 14-day window from mid-February to early March. Ultimately deciding a finalized date by January 18 with a condition to move back a day or week if conditions demand.”
“The end of February makes more sense to me than to do it during busy spring break weeks in March,” commented mayor Jim Schmidt. “When it was held in March it was already busy and just added congestion to congestion.”
“It looks like he wants to do a different kind of event, tying up Elk Avenue for at least three or four days,” said councilmember Kent Cowherd. “I think he wants music. I’d want to hear what the businesses say about closing Elk Avenue for that long. Closing it for several days for a four-hour event seems excessive.”
Town manager Dara MacDonald said the town would request the council have the organizers pay for and coordinate the hauling of snow to set up the jumps if they green-light Big Air on Elk. In the past, she said, the town helped coordinate the snow hauling and it was not only expensive but put too much stress on the employee hours, causing problems when it snowed later in the season and plowing hours were curtailed. “The staff would want him to hire private contractors this time,” MacDonald said.
Tibjlas indicated more snow would be used than in the past and a VIP area would be set up, along with a beer garden and music stage.
Preliminary event planning has some street closures beginning Wednesday. Stages would be set up and several concerts would be held on the weekend of the event. Everything would be out of the area by Monday night.
“The expansion of the event is due to relationships I have been developing with a car brand, an international outdoors product line organization, various alcohol sponsors, an international live music company, as well as the largest live music streaming organization,” Tibjlas wrote in his letter to the town.
The council made no decision on the matter but asked the staff to pursue gathering more information on the proposal for a possible discussion at a future meeting before the end of the year.
