Park City, UT – Since the water ramps at the Utah Olympic Park closed for the season in October, the U.S. Freestyle aerial ski team has been itching to get on snow. With colder temperatures and a solid snow base, the athletes are scheduled to start jumping today. But before anyone could jump, they needed to construct the ramps that will launch them into the air.

Every season, athletes, coaches and staff gather on top of the knoll between the water ramps and the ski jumps to build a full aerial site, which includes a single, double and triple kicker. The profile of the site has to be perfect with everything squared up to the landing hill, ensuring the in-run is square and the table is flat. With a solid crew of helpers, the team can construct the single and double jumps in a day or two. Athletes will warm up on those for about a week before building and hitting the triple.

“I’m really excited to start jumping again,” said team member Maddy Olsen, who sat out last season due to injury. “It’s fun to have us all working together to make the best site we can to prepare for the World Cup season.”

Unlike moguls, the aerials team spends the majority of their summer and fall season in Park City, training on the trampolines at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Center of Excellence and the world-class water ramps at the Utah Olympic Park. Current levels of man-made and natural snow have allowed the team to stick around a little longer before their first World Cup in December.

“With most of the team based here in Park City, it’s really nice to be able to train at home,” said coach Matt Saunders. “The Utah Olympic Park always does a great job of getting the site ready for us.”

The official team announcement for the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team will be released in December prior to the moguls World Cup opener in Ruka, Finland on Dec. 14. The aerials team will kick off their World Cup season the following weekend in Beijing, China.