Ready for takeoff

It’s been nearly a year since Andy “AA” Atha passed away suddenly at the age of 61, but the former ski jumper’s spirit and memory will soar this Sat., March 29. Friends of Atha’s have put together the first annual “Double A Gelande Event” above Little Molas Lake. The free spectator event will feature live music, a barbeque, retro spring skiing vibes (weather permitting) and, of course, ski jumping.

Atha, a longtime North La Plata County resident, worked at Purgatory Ski Resort for years as a snow cat driver and mechanic. However, he was best known for his long, illustrious career as a gelande ski jumper, among other athletic pursuits. “Andy was well known locally as an expert mountain biker, motocross biker, water skier, alpine skier and competitive gelande jumper. He was a ‘larger than life’ character, gone too soon,” longtime friend and event organizer David Breed told the Silverton Standard.

Breed said the idea for the event came about while reminiscing about spring cat skiing with Atha over the years. He said the plan is to make the Double A an annual event and raise money in subsequent years to support a local skier going to the annual gelande event at Steamboat Springs’ famed Howelsen Hill. It was Atha’s favorite competition and one he competed in up until a few years before his death. In fact, a group of friends spread some of Atha’s ashes on the ski jump at this year’s event in February. 

For those out of the know, the sport takes its name from the German word for “open fields.” Beginning in Alta, Utah, in 1963, gelande hit its peak from 1972–78. Competitions were held in Alta, Steamboat, Crested Butte, Jackson Hole and Durango, where there were gelande jumps at Chapman Hill and Purgatory.

The Double A kicks off at the Molas Lake Campground at 8:30 a.m. for competitors and 9 a.m. for spectators, who will need to walk, ski, snowshoe or hitch a ride on a snowmobile to the venue site. The first jumper is scheduled to take off at 10:30 a.m. with barbeque and awards to follow. For more info. go to: doubleagelande.com.