Flying Aces show every Saturday

It's like watching human fireworks. The Flying Aces soar 60 feet in the air, twist and flip, and then land in the spash-down pool. That's the way freestyle Olympic athletes and those who are advancing to be on the team practice their stunts during the summer when there is no snow.

A dozen select athletes form the Flying Aces and they perform a breath-taking aerial freestyle ski show at 5 p.m. every Saturday at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youths and seniors (3-12 and 65+). They can be bought at the door. Shows continue through September 1.

After weeks of hot, miserable weather, the weather suddenly changed and it rained off and on the day we went. "Will the Flying Aces perform today if it keeps raining?" I asked.

The answer was "YES!" After all, they land in a swimming pool and they get wet anyhow. "Theyll perform as long as there is no lightning," she said. So don't let the weather prevent you from seeing the Flying Aces. You can sit in the open on the grass or under cover on a porch.

Athletes also flip and spin on the high tech trampoline system -- showing how they learn their stunts before moving to skis, the kickers and water. But the real breath-taker is the Flying Aces aerial show.

Athletes come from all over the world to train at this world-class winter sports training facility.

There are camps and private lessons for kids to learn from expert coaches. Kids experience the thrill of learning the techniques of how to jump and them jumping from a small ramp into the freestyle spash-down pool. The day we went, three little girls -- ages 8, 10 and 12 -- had taken the one-day camp and jumped to audience applause just before the Flying Aces show. 

When you go: Take I-80 to the Park City exit. (Look up and you'll be able to see the winter jump ramps.) Follow the signs to the Olympic Park. Go early so you can enjoy the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the Olympic Winter Games Museum. Both are free with lots of interaction. Pose for a photo in a bobsled. Ski down a slalom course. Trigger an avalanche.

Check out other "Let's Go!" columns. Click back to the previous page, then scroll down past the long white space. You can catch up on what Matt the Walker is doing and ponder whether old trees should be cut down.