big piles of dirt... sometimes people use boards, but dirt is much more plentiful around here (notice I'm speakng in the present tense). I was always too scared to try things like that, but just this last spring I saw an impressive sight: a bunch of kids (I knew most of 'em) taking turns barrelling down a slope to what must have been a 4 or 5 foot ramp they'd drug out there. They'd go as fast as they could, hit the ramp, ditch the bike, and land in a pile of snow in the ditch off the road after falling some 15 or 20 feet (roads around here are built up quite a bit for natural snow removal). I just stood there and stared. They wore helmets and some body protection gear, but I was very impressed (but whether it was by the feat, or their recklessness, I'm not sure)