THIS DECEMBER 15, Nelson will launch season two of his unique brand of mountain hedonism in Colorado. The first, $7 million tour was just a glimmer of things to come. Over the summer, Nelson bought up the competition, the Jeep King of the Mountain tour. The combined result, which will go by that name, will start with four winter weekends full of skiing and snowboarding events—men's and women's cross and halfpipe, each with a $50,000 purse—plus live music in a gigantic, $100,000 tent, fashion shows, film festivals, photo competitions, bonfires, and more. In the spring of '08, when the snow melts, the tour will move on to road- and mountain-bike racing, but the party format will remain the same.

Competition spectating will be free, access to the entire weekend's worth of concerts and events just $99. "We want everyone in town to know that this is their festival—from the ski bum to the super-rich," says Nelson. For VIPs, special-event tix ($1,500 to $10,000 apiece, depending on the attraction) will open doors to everything from celebrity-hosted DJ parties to heli-skiing excursions with former Olympians like Daron Rahlves. The superlatives go on, but Nelson's vision is basic: "When people think of the mountains, I want them to think of us. We want to turbocharge the experience and build a recognizable brand—like Quiksilver is to the beach."

What Kelly Slater is to Quiksilver, marquee names like Shaun White, Seth Wescott, and Lindsey Jacobellis will likely be to the tour, and the big names are attracting more interest in the races. About 70 athletes from ten countries competed in 2007. That number should swell to at least 250 next time.

"He's giving competitors a new outlet, a different option, and I support that," says freeskiing legend Scot Schmidt, one of the first skiers to make a living hucking cliffs instead of bashing gates. "Every generation reinvents the sport for themselves."

And then that generation puts it on television. The tour will get at least 30 hours of airtime over ten months, including network syndication on CBS and four 90-minute "mountain lifestyle" shows on Mojo, an HD cable channel for "men who live accomplished and adventurous lives." The first one-hour segment, from Telluride, will air on CBS December 29, followed by shows in Park City, Squaw Valley, and Sun Valley.

"It's the NASCAR circuit of skiing," Nelson likes to say. "It's a three-ring circus of nonstop action."