TravelMole checks out the coolest thing in the mountains
I reckon a few hours spent in the new indoor Freestyle Academy in the Swiss resort of LAAX is about as much fun as you can have on a mountain without your skis on. The only one of its kind in Europe, it was designed to provide a safe, padded environment for skiers and boarders to learn and perfect their tricks – twists, turns and somersaults and so forth.
There are trampolines where they can practice their moves without skis before progressing onto a quarter pipe and, finally, the "Big Air" high jumps.
The Freestyle Academy, which also includes a wooden half pipe for little skaters, is an example of the many steps LAAX has taken to pull in the younger skier and boarder, to make the resort that little bit cooler and a bit more exciting than its neighbours. It seems to be working as it was full of springy young things when I went to check it out, but really, there’s no reason us adults can’t give it a go too. So I did.
And here’s a photo of me.
OK, that’s not me. It’s a child, possibly made of elastic. I did complete the 2.5 hour introductory course (I’ve got a certificate to prove it), which involved bouncing on a trampoline, learning a few basic moves, before launching off it into a foam filled pit. It was a giggle, but when the instructor said it was time for me to snap on my skis and move to the quarter pipe to perform my first jump I decided not to risk it.
To be honest, the slopes were not that steep – even kids as young as six can have a go – and given that you land in a pit filled with foam bricks, the worst injury you’re likely to come away with is a carpet burn from falling on the Snowflex material on the slope. I’m just not that brave.
The next morning, in glorious sunshine, I watched some elastic-y youths jumping, flipping and performing 360s in LAAX’s giant outdoor half-pipe, the biggest in Europe, and wished I’d had the courage to give it a go. Later, in the resort’s ski kindegarten, I saw skiers as young as two or three chilling on Fatboys and mesmerised by Ami Sabi, a Shaman-like figure with a fake fox skin on his head who visits three or four times a week to tell them nature stories, and wondered how long it would be before they too would be out there, performing tricks of their own.
Linsey McNeill stayed at the Signinahotel, part of the rocksresort in LAAX, and flew with Swiss Air from Heathrow to Zurich.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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