DATELINE: Albertville

They fly through the air with the greatest of skill, those daring young men on the ski jumping hill.

Jumping from the normal hill was the event of the day Sunday up at Courchevel, but while the world’s best ski jumpers were drawing ohs and ahs from lots of people who probably spent lots of money to get here--and more to get to the event--some of their children couldn’t have cared less. They found plastic bags--kids can always find plastic bags--carved out “luge” runs on the snow-covered hillside above the spectator area and spent the afternoon sliding.

Which goes to show that no matter how big an event may be, there are always some who would rather stick to their own agendas.

The area appears to be solidly behind the Olympics but, as seems to be the case often at Olympic sites, the Games are more for the visitors than the residents.

At the foot of the mountain on the way to Courchevel is the town of Moutiers. Some of the good folks there were having some kind of cattle fair Sunday, with soft-faced reddish-brown dairy cows decked out in the bovine equivalent of hair bows--big red ribbons between their horns.

The roads are narrow and the crowd was large, spilling over into the roadway and blocking the bus taking people up the mountain. The delay was slight and the people friendly, but clearly they were more concerned about their cows than they were about a busload of Olympic goers.

Incidentally, the name of the the town is pronounced MOO-tee-aye.

The jumping hills here are different from most in that they are built into the side of the mountain, instead of on top of it. The concept is aesthetically more pleasing and makes for considerably easier viewing.

One interested viewer was Edwin Moses. Probably the greatest intermediate hurdler of all time, he apparently appreciates fine jumping. He proved not to be much of a hurdler, though, in a parka and snow boots. Trying to step over a plastic mesh crowd-control fence about 3 1/2 feet high, he nearly tripped, catching his footing at the last second.