"This is the most fun event I've ever done. I hope it goes on forever." Rex Wherman said shortly after picking up his $5,000 first place check at the US Extreme Freeskiing Championships in Crested Butte, CO.

Why wouldn't he be having fun? This is the second time Wherman's won the US Championships in as many attempts. And, as Wherman himself would point out later, "It's the only event I've finished all year."

The Montezuma, Colorado local was one of over a hundred athletes to make the trek to Crested Butte for the spring debut of this nine-year old event. Lack of snow early in the year, caused organizers to move the event from its traditional February date to early April. Instead of the gray skies and hard snow that plagued the event last year, spectators baked under a pitiless sun while competitors sliced through slush and corn, putting on one of the best shows Crested Butte has seen in years.

Wherman collects his booty

Wherman and New Zealander Geoff Small were the stars, dueling to one of the closest finishes in the history of the event. After a tie in their first run, Smally took a minuscule .3 point lead into the finals. Wherman stepped up on his first run in the finals, nailing a sketchy air, in a tight exposed chute, in Phoenix Bowl called Rabbit Ears.

"I was kind of worried about hitting it," Wherman said later. "I looked at it and I saw all these bomb holes from people landing it sideways. I don't like to do that. I like to hit stuff and let it run. I thought there was like a 50-50 chance of hitting it and getting through, but I stuck it probably better than anything I hit all day."

Ben Furminsky exits Toilet Bowl

"He just absolutely took my breath away," concurred head judge Angie Hornbrook. "I thought he was dead. I was like 'you can't do that. It's too exposed and narrow.' He hesitated for less than a second, and just went."

That run was enough to put Wherman up by 1.5 points heading into the final run. Smally took the final run by a point, giving Wherman the victory by .5, the second-closest finish in the event's history, topped only by Wherman's .3 point victory margin over Shane McConkey in 1998. Crowd favorite Frankie Alisuag, who fronts the local punk band Kung Pao, finished third.

Frankie Alisuag, 3rd place men

Just as it always has been, dating back to the days when Kim Reichhelm and an unknown teenager named Seth Morrison thrilled the masses here, the US Extremes was once again a showcase for the Crested Butte's local talent base. Alisuag was followed in the standings by fellow Buttians Jack Hannon and Frank Konsella. CB native Rob Wright tied for sixth with Ketchum, ID's Brett Dueter, followed by local Ben Furminsky, giving Crested Butte five finishers in the top ten.

Frank Konsella living it up in High Life

The women's field was a little more geographically diverse, but not quite as competitive. Jackson, Wyoming's Jessica Baker ran away with the five grand first prize, winning every run. Baker prepared herself mentally for the contest by skiing Central Couloir, a technical chute with a mandatory straight-line and mandatory twenty-foot air on Cody Peak, just outside the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort boundary. Her training showed. Baker skied bigger and more difficult lines than any other female in the contest, and skied them with more confidence and aggressiveness.

Dillon, CO's Tina Fracolla hung tight in second place throughout the two-day event, followed by Crested Butte patroller Bradley Richmond. Whistler's Jen Ashton and Nicole Dreon of Squaw Valley rounded out the women's top five.

Top Cats: (from left) Tina Fracolla, Nicole Dreon, Jessica Baker, Bradley Richmond, Jen Aston

The event also proved to be a showcase for Crested Butte's party town reputation. The fans that have supported this event under cold February skies, had an even stronger presence under the roasting April sunshine. Shirts came off some, and the sun etched burn lines around those that remained on. Over a hundred spectators gathered on a remote mid-course knoll, known locally as "Smoke a Bowl Point", to watch the finals, and at times the crowd seemed more entertained with their own antics than with the incredible skiing going on around them. Chants and cheers continued to echo through Spellbound Bowl even between runs and during course holds.

Long after the contest had ended, the upbeat mood echoed atmosphere throughout town. Dinner at a normally upscale sushi joint, became a contest to see which table of competitors could make more noise. The Talk of the Town, the smokey hang out for local soaks, became a who's-who of the competitive freeskiing scene, as competition weary competitors, judges, and fans turned to the Talk's stiff cocktails to sooth their sunburnt lips.

As the lights came on, and the party spilled into the streets, more than a few in the crowd must have thought back to Wherman's victory speech. And some of them may have even reiterated those words, slurred and incoherent, to no one in particular but themselves: "This is the most fun event I've ever done."

You'd be laughing too if you just made $5,000 for skiing four runs. Jessica Baker celebrates her victory.