Ski and Snowboard News, Deals, and Events

Windham Mountain's  Joan Oldknow said the 56-foot-long, 33-foot-wide air-filled pad is a training tool for skiers and riders engaged in aerial freestyle maneuvers, and is designed to take the "ouch" out of landings.

Oldknow said the black and yellow double-compartmentalized bag is made of a heavy gauge nylon and refills every 10 seconds to allow for a constant flow of traffic. It will be situated near the halfpipe for easy viewing and access.

"Windham Mountain's freestyle skiing and snowboard programs will be able to take advantage of the BigAirBag as a training aide, offering a great opportunity to take these programs to the next level," Oldknow said.

"Athletes who are ready to perfect their routines can land safely on the bag. Prior to using the bag, Windham Mountain will require the viewing of a short video to educate athletes as to the proper use of the bag. Once out on the snow, the skier or rider goes off a kicker jump, performing the desired aerial maneuver, and then lands on the BigAirBag. The bag allows the athlete to slide off onto the snow easily," Oldknow said.

The Big Air Bag arrives at Windham Mountain Dec. 13-14. The Big Air Bag is manufactured by BigAirBag B.V. in The Netherlands. Windham will be the sole distributor of this product in the United States.