Vaughan indoor ski, snowboard facility featured on CBC's Rick Mercer Report
Mercer tested out The Launcher, which hurls users up to 30 miles per hour into an airbag.

Jan 20, 2017
Yorkregion.com
By Adam Martin-Robbins

A unique Vaughan business that opened its doors a few months ago is being introduced to the rest of the nation by Rick Mercer next week.

The host of CBC’s Rick Mercer Report on Jan. 17 filmed a segment for the next episode at Axis Freestyle Academy, an indoor ski and snowboard training park.

“We’ve been on a couple of segments for like CTV Barrie and even on YTV, but to hit a national scale like that, it was just something special for us,” said Alex Ching, who started Axis Academy with partners Simon Chang and Adam Zigomanis.

“It was definitely an honour to meet Rick Mercer.”

The 20,000-square-foot facility opened about three months ago at 356 Four Valley Dr., near Vaughan Mills shopping centre.

The facility features a 5,000-square-foot dry slope that stands 17 feet high and has a 16-degree pitch. Its grey, Astroturf-style covering gets lightly misted to perform like snow beneath skis and boards.

The slope can be outfitted with modular rails and boxes with names such as The Dance Floor, Press Boxes and Kickers and Take Offs.

There are also four Olympic-style trampolines and a foam pit for practising airborne tricks.

There’s also a big-air jump dubbed The Launcher, which works like a tow bar, hurling users as fast as 30 miles per hour into an airbag.

During his visit, Mercer spent a couple of hours working on the dry slope, Ching said.

“He had a bunch of fun learning how to ride down the slope, he jumped on a little box and just tried some of the little baby features so that was pretty cool,” Ching said. “He had a good time just sliding down and learning how to get on to what we call The Dance Floor, it’s like a big box feature. It’s the most beginner thing to start on to get people ready to hit a jib.”

Always willing to test his mettle, Mercer, of course, tried out The Launcher.

“He went over the ramp into the bag...I just don’t want to spoil it, it’s pretty funny,” Ching said.

The episode airs on CBC Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m.