Snowmobile driver Chris Piela says safety is job one.

For a nature-lover, it might be easy to dismiss this army of machinery and men zipping across the snow, cutting between skiers, gunning it up the steep slopes.

But as soon as you need to get from top to bottom -- from the finish line of Biker X to the starting gate, some 680 feet above -- these snowmobile drivers become your new best friends.

Chris Piela is one of those drivers. Piela, 27, is a year-round resident of Crested Butte. He says safety is his No. 1 concern.

"That's really on our minds. As far as driving the athletes and the workers, it's pretty much safety first," he said. "You've got to be real heads-up when you're driving people around."

He's been driving a snowmobile on and off since he moved to Crested Butte about three and a half years ago, but this is his first Winter X stint.

Each day the transport group revs up 20-25 sleds for the two teams that spend the day on the mountain, shuttling athletes, crew and staff up, down and across the slopes.

And that's all day. Starting at 7 a.m., these chauffeurs of the slopes work until everyone's off the mountain, sometimes as late as 7 or 8 p.m.

Piela already has traveled about 300 miles in five days of work for Winter X, cris-crossing the 50-odd acres of mountain territory ESPN has taken over for the event.

But is it all work and no play for these members of Crested Butte Mountain Resort's crew?

"I'm definitely excited about the events," Piela said. He's especially looking forward to -- what else? -- the Snocross competition, scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 17.

"I can kind of relate to the snowmobile event, from driving all year long. I got to catch a little bit of that last year. That's just an awesome event."