ARTICLES

January 6, 2013

More Thoughts From The Bagjump

Dave Sugnet in a truck driver at the Blunck Bag Jump Event. Photo: Will Dujardin

I want to send some praise to CBMR for purchasing the large Bagjump that currently rests at the base area.  The Aaron Blunck Big Bag Invitational showed the enormous potential for the Bagjump to bring new and exciting events and activities to the resort.

I was fortunate enough to hit it with the teenagers I coach at CBMR.  Landing on it is incredible.  It feels like a cloud is catching you.  After your first landing, you gain the confidence to attack the trick you are trying to learn with absolutely no fear.  I watched the kids try and learn switch backflips, rodeo 5s, and cork spins within 2 hours.  There will be obvious transitional kinks and learning curves. Landing it on the airbag is different than real life.  However, you are nearly there.

Crowds at the base area watch Aaron Blunck drop in. Photo: Will Dujardin

Crowds at the base area watch Aaron Blunck drop in. Photo: Will Dujardin

I want to see the resort push the freeskiing aspect of having the Bagjump.  The tubing is a ton of fun, and is very necessary as a draw for the general public.  But if the resort works to build the right jumps and gets the bag dialed, the possibilities are endless in terms of both athlete progression as well as tourist potential.

For example, the bag is portable.  The resort could create terrain park jumps that are exact replicates of the Bagjump jumps, so that after you get a trick down 100% on the bagjump, you can move on to the real thing with the confidence that you’ve done this exact jump before.  I believe that is a huge draw for parents who want to see their kids try the jumps that they were going to try anyway, but in a safer atmosphere.

CBMR is currently working to create a certification process that would allow the general public to hit the Bagjump.  The general idea is that there will be two levels.  One level will be for advanced riders who already know how to jump.  The other level will be a more intermediate class for riders who need a jumping lesson in the Cascade park first.  Everyone will be required to watch the “Easy Style It” video and to have taken and passed the park test.  People who pass will receive a sticker that allows them to hit the Bagjump in line with the tubers.  More details will become available as the process gets ironed out.

Get excited people.  The Bagjump is an enormous step forward.



About the Author

1. Ed Dujardin
After moving out west for college, Ed took summer school so he could spend winters in Crested Butte. These days, he coaches the Western State Colorado University Freeride Team, and spends as much time as he can fishing the incredible rivers of the area.




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