Extreme Sports Park

 
 

Vocabulary

treat	fan (2)	squash (3)
rapid	open-air	cradle (2)
trendy	compact	swing (2)
paved	extreme	atmosphere (2)
team	flock (2)	attraction
rope	facility	conventional
leisure	area (2)	adrenaline rush
rush	pay off	merry-go-round
climb	scale (3)	ground (2)
offer	pick (3)	hard work
thrill	prepare	chance (2)
region	outdoors	behind (2)
raft	quarter	wonderful
dry	curl up	junkie (2)
mega	space (2)	adrenaline
plunge	variety	as much as possible
insure	average	mentality
brave	consider	investment
BMX	freestyle	motocross
curl	laid back	incredible
rapids

 
 
 
 
 

Video: Extreme Sports Park

 
 
 
 
 

Transcript

Area 47 in Tirol, a park in the Austrian Alps and a real treat for fans of the great outdoors. The park offers what may be the world’s greatest variety of open-air activities in such a compact space.

Outdoor Sportsman 1: “Here you can try out all the trendy mountain sports. The idea behind Area 47 is to have a location where visitors can get to know all these sports in a relaxed and laid back atmosphere.”

Around a quarter-of-a-million visitors, mostly young men, flock here between May and September. The main attraction is the high ropes course.

Visitors to the park want more than the facility’s conventional leisure parks offer.

Outdoor Sportsman 2: “It’s physical activity. You’re not squashed into a seat being driven around.”

Outdoor Sportsman 3: “It’s more of an adrenaline rush than a merry-go-round here: here you have to do the hard-work yourself.”

Outdoor Sportsman 4: “We’ve done this often at a high-ropes course. It’s always fun.”

Towering 27 meters above the ground, the high-ropes course is one of Europe’s highest open air climbing facilities. It takes several hours to complete. Christian Miller, who co-manages Area 47, is a climber and free glider himself. But the high-ropes course welcomes amateurs, not just pros.

Christian Miller, Co-manager Area 47: “Not everyone has the physical condition to scale a 3,000 meter mountain with a rope and pick. But we offer everyone the chance to experience that thrill with a very safe environment, without spending months preparing and training as a mountain climber.”

The region is the European cradle of extreme outdoor sports. Since the late 1970s, rafting has been one of the most popular summer activities in the Alps. The outdoor park offers daily tours on the rivers Inn and Utz.

No one who goes rafting comes back dry. The tour takes about two hours.

Outdoor Sportsman 5: “The rapids, the feeling, all of it. The water, fantastic.

Outdoor Sportsman 6: “Great. The whole backdrop. Great guys, it was fun. The whole team was wonderful.”

The mega swing is one for the truly brave, involving a plunge from a height of 30 meters towards a paved parking lot. It looks a lot more dangerous than it actually is.

Outdoor Sportsman 1: “I know in society, people want an adrenaline rush and as much action as possible. But it has to be safe. The mentality is ‘insure me against everything’.”

The average visitor spends three days in Area 47. The price for individual activities ranges from eight to 118 Euros. Many consider that a good investment.

Outdoor Sportsman 7: “It definitely pays off: we’re all freestyle motocrossers and freestyle BMX riders. So we’re all already adrenaline junkies.

Outdoor Sportswoman 1: “I’m planning to come probably soon enough, for seven days or something.”

Outdoor Sportsman 8: “We’ve had so much fun, incredible.

Outdoor Sportswoman 2: “The weather’s fantastic. It’s wonderful!”

And even those who spent the day working out hard don’t curl up in bed early: nighttime is party time at Area 47.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

Questions

1. What is “Area 47”?

2. Most visitors to Area 47 are families. True or false? When is the peak season, or when is the park open for business?

3. Is the high-ropes course difficult and scary?

4. Area 47 only involves mountain and tower activities. Is this right or wrong?

5. “In society, people want an adrenaline rush.” What does this mean? What do the participants say about the activities?

6. Are the activities (considered) safe or dangerous?

7. Visitors pay for a ticket and can spend the whole day doing any activity. Is this correct or incorrect?

8. Do people only do extreme sports in Area 47?

 
 

A. My friends and I have participated in extreme sports. Yes or no?

B. Would you like to participate in extreme sports? If yes, which ones?

C. Are there extreme sport activities in your area or country? What are some examples?

D. Is extreme sports big business? What are some examples?

E. What will happen in the future?