As the old saying goes, "When God gives you lemons, make lemonade." This certainly was the motto for the Red Bull Rock-n-Air contest held outside Denver this Saturday at Colorado's Red Rocks amphitheater.

The highlight of the event was a big air demo slated to take place on a massive kicker that dominated the south side of the venue. Featuring some of the best skiers and snowboarders, including top pros such as Canadian skiers Phillipe Belanger and Mike Douglas, as well as youth phenom Tanner Hall of the USA, and snowboarders Erik Leines, Jim Rippey and JJ Thomas, the big air was to highlight an evening which included performances in the halfpipe by legendary skater Tony Hawk and BMX madman Matt Hoffman as well as four of the best bands playing today: 311, Pennywise, the Long Beach Dub All Stars and Capitol Eye.

The lemons made their appearance early Saturday morning when it was discovered that the 265-foot big air ramp had succumbed to the approximately 40 tons of snow used to build the kicker and landing zone. The weight of the snow had caused part of the ramp to buckle and organizers were faced with a dilemma: risk it or play it safe.

The call was made and the ramp, much to the disappointment of many, was cleared of snow, shifting the focus of attendees to the festival village, the halfpipe and the music.

The untimely demise of the ramp didn't mean the party was over, though. The halfpipe impressed everyone who was lucky enough to watch the action, with Hawk and Hoffman doing what they do better than anyone else: linking huge airs with progressive tricks.

The bands also made up for any energy that might have been lacking due to the problems with the ramp. Pennywise was particularly impressive, whipping the crowd into a frenzied mosh pit with numerous individuals taking advantage of the melee to crowd surf up onto the stage, a rarity at the security conscious venue.

By the time that 311 launched into their encore, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Red Bull had come through with a dose of manic energy to kick off both the start of fall and the ski season with a unique and impressive event. Those who were lucky enough to attend are already looking forward to next year. "The ramp was a bummer," said spectator Steve Beneski "But everything else was great. Besides, they'll bring it back next year bigger and better. I'll get to check out the big air then."

If Beneski plans on catching this event in the future, he better have his act together. The event easily sold out this year and, if Red Bull continues to throw this kind of party, figures to be one of the hottest tickets in the future. "I was lucky to get in," said concert goer Gabe Schroder. "I can't believe that it is this crowded."

— Tom Winter, MountainZone.com Correspondent