You’ve probably seen it popping up on social media these past few week’s, perhaps you’ve had a glance at it and thought it looked pretty cool. But what does the Graystone Action Sports Academy offer, and what does it mean for UK Snowsport?
Graystone is a brand-new action sports facility that has opened in Manchester, with a variety of terrain – including a skatepark, a super-trampoline, a beginner skate section, a skate bowl, mega-ramps into both a foam pit and a resin-landing ramp, as well as a gymnastics area which should be completed in the new year.
The key factor that differentiates Graystone from other skateparks and trampoline parks throughout the country, is the possibility for progression thanks to the facilities for harder and riskier tricks to be tried in a reduced-risk environment. Participants can practice inverted tricks on a trampoline to develop the aerial awareness and understanding of the trick, before trying the trick off a ramp into a foam pit – courtesy of the innovative ski and snowboard equipment at hand. Once they feel confident with the trick into foam, they can progress this one step further to the ‘resin’ landing ramp, which allows athletes to be able to land the trick and ride away, whilst still offering some forgiveness.
What does it mean for UK Snowsport?
The facilities are great fun, but how is that going to affect UK Snowsport?
Previously, to make the most of these sort of facilities, participants would have had to go to places like the Freestyle Academy in Laax, Switzerland, or to any of the Woodward Camps in the USA. But having one of these facilities in the UK will allow aspiring athletes to put in a lot more time perfecting the mechanics of bigger tricks in a reduced-risk environment, and ultimately give them a much better platform to compete against the best in the world.
To find out more information on Graystone Action Sports Academy, follow them on their social media channels.
Website: https://www.graystoneactionsports.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graystoneactionsports/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graystoneactionsports/