AXIS Freeride is teaching young athletes to fly

Want to learn to fly? Do it on skis ... and water. And, do it as part of a complete freestyle skiing program.

As for flying, the two main requirements — skis and water — add up to freestyle skiing in the swimming pool at the Utah Olympic Park.

Chris "Hatch" Haslock, a former Olympian and pioneer in the sport of aerial freestyle skiing, has formed a nonprofit organization, called AXIS Freeride, which is dedicated to introducing young athletes to all aspects of recreation and competitive freeskiing.

The summer aerial program is an extension of the complete freeskiing package, which includes summer, winter and dry-land training.

Freeskiing is in reference to learning to ski in any conditions and in all types of terrain — racing, moguls, powder, steep, gentle and aerials.

AXIS offers both seasonal part time and full time, year-round training that involves all aspects of ski training, ranging from on-snow to summer programs.

One of the more popular programs with young skiers, he noted, is summer training off the water ramps at the park. That's because skiers find that for those few seconds while flying in the air, they are weightless and free to move about.

Skiers slide down on a plastic surface, take flight and land with style, albeit, sometimes accidental, in the water.

It also teaches certain elements of the sport that transfer over into their freeskiing.

The park began to offer public pool jumping in 2001.

"Since then," said Haslock, "interest has grown every year."

The classes begin with a brief orientation followed by a video "giving them an idea of what's to come," he noted.

Students then slip into wetsuits and move to the edge of the pool where they are introduced to a minitrampoline angled toward the pool. From an elevated platform they can jump onto the little trampoline and be catapulted into the water.

They then move to a small ramp that gives skiers the sensation of aerials.

The Utah Olympic Park facility is one of only two in the country. The second is in Lake Placid, N.Y., site of the 1980 Olympics. The Utah complex, however, is considered one of the finest in the world and, in fact, teams from all over the world come to Utah to train off the jumps.

Dry land training is held at the Basin Recreation Center and Black Diamond Gymnastics.

AXIS offers on-snow training at Park City Mountain Resort and after-school programs at the Utah Olympic Park and other venues.

Hatch's goal with AXIS Freeride is to continue giving back to the sport by helping young athletes pursue their own life dreams and helping them obtain their athletic goals.

Volunteer coordinator for the program is Mary Partridge.

For more information about AXIS Freeride, contact www.info@axisfreeride.com or call 801-550-1309.

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E-mail: marypartpc@msn.com or call 801-550-1309