WATERVILLE VALLEY — Now that freestyle and snowboard athletes have the first year-round aerial training facility in the East, they don't have to worry any more about low-snow winters like the last one.

Phil's Hill Training Center officially opened this weekend on Snow's Mountain as part of the Waterville Valley Black and Blue Trail Smashers Snowsports Educational Foundation's extended facilities at Waterville Valley Academy.

One of the nation's oldest ski clubs also became the home of freestyle skiing when Wayne Wong showed off his daffys to the world.

A special, high-tech artificial snow surfacing material from Italy covers two in-runs — the longest about 170 feet — down the hill to 10- and 15-foot jumps.

Skiers and snowboarders can launch off either of the two ramps and land their jumps in a giant BagJump airbag, as they did Saturday.

This is the only set up of its type on the East Coast.

Two other training facilities — in Lake Placid, N.Y., and another in Park City, Utah — have athletes landing in water, which makes those landings very cold in spring and fall.

While the idea of a jumping site into Corcoran's Pond was considered, placing the facility at the base of the former Snow's Mountain ski trails optimized usage opportunities, according to club leaders.

The facility also has two large trampolines where athletes can train, including this summer during various camps.

Saturday, the new venue was officially dedicated in honor of Philip Holmes of Waterville Valley and Marblehead, Mass., who died several decades ago after a brief illness at age 11.

Jonathan Holmes, oldest of the three Holmes children, said that after his brother's death the family raised $30,000 with the help of 19 Waterville Valley families.

With the help of resort founder Tom Corcoran, the first Phil's Hill was built near the Waterville Valley base lodge.

The Holmes family has been skiing at Waterville Valley for 37 years and been members of the club for all those years. After the original Phil's Hill was replaced by a halfpipe, they agreed with the club to move the training venue to Snow's Mountain.

Phil's father, Dick Holmes, said the people of Waterville Valley kept Philip's memory strong.

While the chair-lift to the summit of Snow's Mountain is used in the summer for mountain bikes, there are no lifts to the top of the jumps at Phil's Hill.

But the steep pathway is named for Sandy, Phil's mom, who recently died.

Holmes said he was pleased the new facility offers an unparalleled training center that allows youths to safely practice jumps.

And when winters are as bad as this past one, Holmes said, being weather-proof can make the difference between pulling off events or having to cancel them.

In winter, the plastic artificial snow surface can help retain snow and the jump framework will remain, with the use of the $35,000 BagJump airbag a permanent installation.

The BagJump airbag had been on Mount Tecumseh for a winter but posed significant maintenance issues without a permanent jump structure and sufficient snow .

The club agreed to go forward with the project last year and construction was completed in November 2011. Holmes noted that it took the 19 families a little longer than they had expected to come up with the original funds for Phil's Hill.