well, as a canadian now doing my third season in europe (france), here's my take:
parks are shite compared to north america, but getting better.  the kids around here are throwing it down hard and idolizing candide, regnier, etc > in a few years i think it'll be on the same level as the north american park rats.  the local kids (10-14) years are trying inverts off BC booters, etc with no fear.
i ran into anthony boronowski & zach d shooting for War here (la plagne, france) and they had a big-ass booter built over a ski run (similiar to the cover of the burton catalogue) with people skiing underneath their jumps... just shit that back home the patrol would have been all over.  they were saying about how in europe you can pretty much get away with anything.
basically limitless access to lift-served BC...  the park scene is behind, but i think you don't get the phenomenon of park-only skiers here...  most kids are growing up as all rounders, not park rats...
but don't worry the shit the PBP boys were wearing is still about a thousand times baggier than anything the euro guys are rockin... so north america still has the edge in gangsta steeze.