How do Olympic snowboarders and skiers practice complex tricks? This giant airbag mimics a snowy hill
What goes up must come down – Team USA's top snowboarders have a bouncy tool to finetune tricks.
Utah's Olympic Park has an airbag that allows athletes to practice tricks with a soft landing before taking them to the snow. It's set up on the mountain and can be used all summer long.
Sprinklers line the top part of the airbag. It takes five seconds' worth of water to make the ramp slick enough for an athlete to build speed before taking off to practice a maneuver.
is a snowboarder originally from Rocklin, California. He was just named to the slopestyle rookie team ahead of the .
He calls the airbag a game-changer for snowboarders trying to earn a spot on the Olympic Team.
"A lot of the pioneers of competitive snowboarding went out and were trying triples and doubles without an airbag. So they were out getting hurt. And maybe it wasn't always an injury, but they were taking falls," DePriest said.
DePriest and his teammates spent a lot of time training in Park City over the last few months ahead of Olympic qualifying this fall. Remaining injury-free is critical.
"This allows us to be able to do the tricks that we want to do safely. Especially when we're pushing into the bigger flips, the higher flips, the more advanced rotations. It eliminates nearly all of the risk factors with it," DePriest said.
The only bad part about the airbag? Apparently, it can be tough to stick your landing and ride it out. However, athletes say it's a small price to pay for the ability to train 365 days a year – no snow required.
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics take place from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.
