Snowmobiles race between plumes of powder shooting from snowmaking machines. The long blades of a dozen or so snow cats whirl as the machines push snow into what seems to be a random pattern of piles.

Stumble upon this scene on Buttermilk Mountain in early January, and it's hard to envision those piles turning into some of the most challenging action sports courses in the world.

"It's about like watching grass grow right now, just a bunch of cats pushing snow around," Jerimiah Pebley says from behind the wheel of one of those futuristic-looking machines. "But it all comes together in the end."

Flash forward three weeks, to the start of the Winter X Games. You realize there actually was a purpose to the chaos, the piles of snow forming huge jumps, kickers and a monstrous halfpipe that will push the best riders in the world to their limits.

And it all comes together because that's the way Chris Gunnarson planned it.

FROM DRIVING A RIG TO RUNNING THE SHOW

Known is "Gunny" to just about everyone, Gunnarson has turned a job driving a snow cat at Snow Summit Mountain Resort in Big Bear, Calif., into multimillion dollar company at the top of the terrain park-building business.

Gunnarson, 33, got his big break in 1997, when ESPN picked Snow Summit to hold the inaugural Winter X Games.

The resort was at the forefront of the terrain-park movement at the time, thanks to Gunnarson's knack for creating features that riders -- many of them his friends -- loved. He ended up building the courses at the first Winter X Games, and has done every one since.

"We trust him so much," says Tim Reed, director of sports and competition for ESPN. "We'll throw suggestions out, but ultimately it's us working with them and their expertise comes out. They do a great job."

It didn't take long after the first couple of Winter X Games for people to start clamoring for Gunnarson's expertise. He started Snow Park Technologies with childhood friend Mike Binnell in 1999, thinking it would be something fun they could do together.

It's turned into a three-pronged company based that designs courses and provides services around the world.

There's SPT Park, which designs, operates and maintains terrain parks at 10 Booth Creek Resorts. SPT Projects, probably the best-known of the three entities, is the portion that designs courses for events like the Winter X Games and U.S. Opens, and customized tracts for film and video shoots. There's also SPT Products, which manufactures rails, boxes and custom features for terrain parks, and also sells tools and soft-shell clothing.

Not bad for a guy who just wanted to build terrain parks the way he liked them.

"It's hard to believe I have a career doing something this fun and that I love this much," Gunnarson says.

DEEP ROOTS IN THE SNOW

When it comes to designing courses like the ones at Winter X, Gunnarson starts his planning months in advance, making site visits in the summer and fall to get a good feel for the topography and where he might add a twist or a turn. After that, it's back to his offices in Truckee, Calif., where he and his team sketch out a plan, load it onto a computer and start mapping out everything from the jumps and rails to the TV camera angles.

Gunnarson works with the resorts on the amount of snow he'll need to build the course, then assembles a team of the best course builders and operators from around the country. The whole group descends upon Buttermilk Mountain about a month before the event, ready to start pushing all of that snow around.

"I'm sort of like the ringleader who pulls it altogether," Gunnarson says. "On each venue we've got a real specialist. It's such a dream-team of park builders and I'm just the guy who pulls the string."

What has made Gunnarson so successful is his connection to the riders. He grew up in Southern California riding surfboards, skateboards and later snowboards, and was already ingrained in the culture before he ever got his business started. He's kept up those ties, keeping track of the new trends, asking kids what they like and don't like as he travels to places like Japan, New Zealand and just about everywhere in the United States.

"Snowboarding can definitely thank him," says Pebley, SPT's project manager. "He's done a lot to get snowboarding where it's at today. From back in the day when he took over the park program at Snow Summit, it was probably hands-down the best park program in the country, so a lot of companies and other resorts followed suit. He's always wanted to progress and he's done a great job of achieving that."

John Marshall is asap's sports reporter, based in Denver.

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