It could be argued that, three years ago, when the first Red Bull Elevation contest went down, dirt jumping contests were changed forever. Until Elevation, there was a huge separation between "dirt jumping" contest and actual trails. When you thought of a dirt contest, you always pictured three or four jumps in the middle of some shitty parking lot in the suburbs of So Cal. Then Elevation came along and stepped things up about a million notches. Rather than giving the jump builders two days to throw some jumps down in a parking lot, the best dirt jump builders in the world moved to Whistler B.C. for a month and were given the resources to build actual trails on the side of the mountain. The third and hopefully not, last year of the contest is quickly coming up and I got together with Jay Miron, the man behind the whole thing, to ask him and few questions about how Elevation came together and what we can expect in the future.

Elevation is on it's third year and the contest is coming up real soon... How are you feeling about everything right now?

I’m super excited. It’s such a fun event to be at. I can’t wait until everyone gets into town.

Nick Halsey, Dave King, Magilla, and Elf have been in Whistler working on the jumps. How's the build been going and how is this year going to be different than the previous years?

The build actually just ended today. The course is done and looking great. We started two weeks earlier this year to make sure we finished early and gave the grass lots of time to grow. It’s the best course we’ve ever had. The line down the mountain has totally changed and the jumps are much better. I know the riders will love it. Hats off to the crew for killing it harder than ever. They are true masters of the craft.

All the contest you put on really revolve around more than just BMX. You put as much into the actual contest as you do the events, location, accommodations, etc. Would you like to explain why you put so much effort into everything?

There’s not really much to explain. I just try to treat the riders the same as I wanted to be treated when I was traveling to all the contests like them. For anyone that hasn't been to Whistler for Elevation, you want to describe the whole weekend? The guys get to ride a great course that really lets them show the skills that they have and the rest of the time is spent chilling with friends at the pool, partying, and generally having fun.

Can you leak any secretes about what is in store this year outside the jumps?

Hotel. I can’t say anything more but it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. When I brought it up in a meeting several months ago Red Bull was into it and made it happen. I’m so pumped I can’t believe it.

Who are your favorite guys to watch ride the jumps?

I like watching everyone but my favorites are Cory Bohan, Corey Nastazio, Bibi, and Chris Doyle. Those guys are also in my top ten favorite riders of all time period. They each have such amazing style. They’re the kind of guys I made this event for.

Could you talk a little about the history of Elevation and how the contest came to life?

A few years ago when Red Bull came into Canada they contacted me and we talked about how we could work together. After a few meetings we decided to do an event. So I pitched Elevation on them and they were really pumped on it. Everyone knows the rest of the story.

What has been the hardest part of the whole thing?

That’s a tough question to answer. I guess it was just going for it the first year. I knew what I wanted but I had never put on a dirt contest before. So the first year was a lot of learn as you go. And that can be a bit scary sometimes.

Everyone has been talking about where dirt jumping is going now that the event is not in the X-Games. Personally I think it is for the better. It sucks for those guys that make good money off it every year, but I think it opens the field up for people like you to put on events that the riders actually enjoy going to, and hopefully in the future, will be able to make as much money as the X-Games. How do you feel abut the whole thing?

I have mixed feelings about the X Games. The whole idea of it was the best idea ever, but the execution was totally wrong. They were arrogant, treated us like children and generally didn’t ever understand us. The real bummer about the whole mess is that they weren’t that far off. With only a few changes it could have been great. That said I do think that if ESPN with all their money and resources couldn’t get it right after ten years it’s probably a good thing that they completely get out of BMX and concentrate on sports that they do better.

Can you talk about any future plans for Elevation?

As of right now this is the last one, but I hope it can happen again somehow.

• Red Bull Elevatino will be going down June 28th - July 1st in Whistler B.C.
• For more information check out the Red Bull Elevation site - www.redbullelevation.com