WINDHAM, New York — Ready to fly? The ‘Big Air Bag’ (www.bigairbag.com) arrives at Windham Mountain on December 13-14, 2008, just in time for the holidays. Designed as a training tool for skiers and riders, the huge air-filled pad cushions the landing for aerial maneuvers. The Big Air Bag is manufactured by BigAirBag B.V. in The Netherlands, and Windham Mountain will be the sole distributor of this product in the United States.

Measuring 56 feet long by 33 feet wide, this inflatable compression bag will be situated near the halfpipe where skiers and riders will have easy access and visibility. The black and yellow double-compartmentalized bag is made of a heavy guage nylon and refills every 10 seconds to allow for a constant flow of traffic.

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. 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.

With this year’s major improvements to Windham Mountain’s base lodge and on-mountain upgrades, the addition of this fun attraction is just icing on the cake. Windham’s guests will be flying higher than ever before. A ‘BigAirBag Bash’ will be held on December 26-27 to celebrate its arrival.

Windham Mountain, located in the northern Catskills town of Windham, New York, is a family-friendly winter resort that offers skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and many other winter activities. Just 2.5 hours from New York City, Windham Mountain offers beginners, intermediates and experts the chance to experience its two adjoining mountain peaks. With a summit elevation of 3,100 feet and vertical drop of 1,600 feet, Windham boasts a 98% snowmaking capacity. For more information, go to www.windhammountain.com.