Big Air on Elk set to go off Saturday

Aaron Blunck and Kyle Anderson to defend titles

Big Air on Elk has turned into one of the highlights of the winter in Crested Butte and this year will be just as exciting. Best of all, it’s free for the fans.
Gabe Martin, owner of the Colorado FreeSkier, took over the event in 2010 and tweaked it to make sure that spectators got an incredible show, while keeping it safe for the participants.
This year, between 20 and 26 athletes have been invited to compete this Saturday, March 10 starting at 5 p.m.
“It’s a Who’s Who of talent, both local and from out of town,” says event coordinator Gabi Michna. “We’ve scouted out some young talent to put on a good show for everybody.”
The massive jump will be set up at the intersection of Third and Elk and, as always, athletes will be towed in by snowmobile to gain speed.
“That’s one of the things the crowd really feeds off of,” says Michna.
Michna says the jump will be similar to last year’s with a few alterations to give the athletes a chance to show their stuff while still landing safely.
Thanks to the efforts of Lacy Construction, the town of Crested Butte and Irwin, jump preparation will begin at 2 a.m. and continue until 11 a.m. Saturday, with continued work throughout the day.
“We’ll spend quite a bit of time working on the jump,” says Michna.
Athletes are scheduled to show up at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for warm-up. Fans are encouraged to stop by and get a preview of the spectacle.
The festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. and continue until 9 p.m. as the field of athletes is paired down to the champions.
Winners will receive a cash prize as well as one of the most coveted local titles.
The event is a fundraiser of the Crested Butte Ski Club, complete with beer gardens and a silent auction in one of the tents set up at Third and Elk.
If you can’t make it downtown, you can catch the action online with a live stream at www.coloradofreeskier.com.
Both Aaron Blunck and Kyle Anderson will be back to defend their titles. Blunck is coming in hot off a successful season on the halfpipe circuit but says he doesn’t have anything new planned for the Big Air competition—yet.
“I’m waiting to see what the jump looks like,” says Blunck. “We’ll kind of see and play it by ear. I’d like to throw a double.”