It beats hanging around on street corners

On a Saturday morning in Reading - where I used to live before emigrating to Austria - you’d find “the youth” hanging around the Oracle shopping centre or on street corners in the centre of town.

In Waidring, just down the road from where I live now, they go to the fun park at the Steinplatte ski area. A few are on boards, most are on twin tipped skis, and all sport brightly coloured, ill fitting clothes. I counted over 25 jumps, rails and other obstacles to ski over, along or into.

I tried to look inconspicuous and merge into the background so I could take some pictures of freestyle skiers helicoptering to their doom. After ten minutes or so I was politely asked to move on – the suggestion was that it was dangerous to stand where I was. I think the truth is that there was an age limit, and I had exceeded it.

On the subject of freestyle skiing, when I was in Salt Lake City last year I went to the ski museum at Olympic Park where they have a training area for freestyle skiers. I was amazed to discover that they learn their trade by skiing down a steep slope, flying off a jump – and land in a swimming pool! It gives the term “water skiing” a new meaning.