‘Hella Big Air’ competitors soar at Bachelor

Perfect weather brought a big crowd to the first annual Hella Big Air competition at Mt. Bachelor on Monday.

The snow competition was sponsored by 10 Barrel Brewing and the resort. Crews worked for about three weeks to get the slope to perfection for the event.

For snowboarder Grant Giller, it’s about getting as much air on his jump as he can.

“You just go on auto-pilot is the best way I can describe it,”Giller said.

The brewing company wanted to bring back a ’90s tradition after it was canceled in recent years.

The event brought some professional snowboarders to the event. Officials say the $10,000 cash prize attracted many people from across the country.

The ski and snowboard jumping event was supposed to take place Sunday, but because of weather, planners decided to push it to Monday.

“The weather was not ideal from the riders safety standpoint, which is our No. 1 concern,” said organizer Cory Eisele. “We wanted to make sure everyone was willing and able and safely hitting the jump.”

For participants, it was important to make sure the wind conditions were just right.

“The wind was a little different — sometimes it’s was going uphill, sometimes its going downhill, and it can really throw you around,” Giller said. “I went a little too big on the jump, but I’d rather go too big than too short.”

Organizers hope to continue the big-air competition in coming years, attracting more skiers and snowboarders.

The winners of Monday’s competition were snowboarder Nils Mindnich and skier Alex Schlopy. Both participants received $10,000 checks.