WATER RAMPING: Chris "Hatch" Haslock tells you how

Ever wondered how you gain access to the aerial ramps at the Utah Olympic Park splash pool--one of two aerial pools in the country, the other being at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York? To gain access to a training area with five jumps and three trampolines and some of the best coaching staff from the West, isn't as easy as paying to play. Because of the obvious dangers, athletes have to be signed up through a coaching program.

Chris "Hatch" Haslock is the executive director and head coach of Axis Freeride, one of the Oly Park's four freestyle programs that offers access to kids and adults. He founded FLY Freestyle in 2001, which, under his direction, was named the 2005 Freestyle Club of the Year. After the 2002 Salt Lake Games, the Oly Park wanted to expand the user base and he was put in charge of spearheading that plan. If you have questions, he's the man. Not only does he run the show at the splash pool, he is an experienced coach. A 1988 Olympian, he was ranked seventh in the world in aerials. He acquired his coaching certification in 1984 working as a freestyle coach at every level, and then in 1990 he began coaching full time.

Powder.com caught up with him in late June during the Roxy Pop Drop to figure out how people from Joe Blows to Tanner Hall can gain access to the pool.

Powder: When did you start Axis Freeride? Hatch: I started working for the Olympic Park in 2001. They had hired me at that point to develop a freestyle program up here. As I went into 2002 after the Olympics, part of what they wanted to do was expand the user base and really open it up. We put a lot of effort into drawing other clubs in [like AVSC, Wasatch Freestyle, etc.] and other users. For example, when AVSC first came they actually did a program through FLY Freestyle. I started that club and ran that. We did exponentially increase our user groups. I worked under FLY for a year, and I left in 2006 and that's when I started Axis Freeride. I saw an opportunity and need for a local freeride program.

Powder: How can a regular Joe Blow learn how to jump at the pool? Hatch: We're doing a morning session now. We've contracted with the park to do an "Intro to Freestyle." We bring the public up here. It's $95 for three hours. Anyone can come in, but we recommend that you be an intermediate skier or better. But the reality is that you don't have to turn, so we can take pretty much anybody who is used to the world moving under their feet. Whether they're a skier, skateboarder, rollerblader, ice skater, if they are fit and agile, we can get them off the jump. We allow ages as young as six. We've had grandparents out here. The oldest I've seen is 69, but I think we had a 72-year-old woman out here once.

Powder: I think the misconception is that anyone can roll into the park, buy a season pass and go jump. What's the protocol for getting in for a more advanced/expert jumper who just wants to fine tune skills? Hatch: Basically just because of the nature of the facility and trying to insure something like this, you have to be with a club that provides the Olympic Park with liability insurance and has legitimate coaches. So your coaches need to be appropriate for whatever level they're trying to coach out here. There are opportunities. There are four clubs that operate out of here on a regular basis: Axis Freeride, FLY Freestyle, Wasatch Freestyle, and Park City Freestyle. Each of us has our own niche, and one of us is set up to deal with just about anybody. Tanner Hall trains here; Simon Dumont was here last year; Seth Morrison was here last year.

Powder: I know Axis advertises season passes, but it's not like a ski area here where you can just show up and jump. How does that work? Hatch: We have a five-punch pass and a 10-punch pass. Those are easy ways for people to drop in on the program when we're offering already to our regulars. That's our way of getting in. PC Free has a program where you pay X amount per day, and they offer time blocks and a maximum you can spend.

For more information about Axis, go to www.axisfreeride.com.