Grass-skiing in the east

Frankontour

Frankontour

New member
Now that the lifted season is ending a little bit faster than earlier (I won't enter further in the debate), and that hike-skiing is not always possible a long time after the mountains close, grass-skiing can be a great way to get some turns into the summer, for the real crazy-sick-maniac skiers.

Here, my buddy Chris and me now have these skis, so we're not really going to stop skiing for the summer season! :) OK, it's less fun than to be in Utah and have snowbird skiable about until next fall, but I won't move there for sure ! ;)

I was wondering if someone else here had these kind of skis and if so where are you practicing this sport ?

Here, we are still beginners with these skis, have done only twice last fall, but at our big day at Mt Alta last year, we improved a lot, on our skis and I think this summer we'll do a lot of search to find some enough steep trails where there is no rocks but only nice grass.

I'm eager to begin ;)... but less eager to finish the ski season on snow !

I'll report surely a few times this summer with pics of this really interesting alternative to skiing (in summer) sport ;)
 
No need to go far to pratice grass-skiing.

I saw some people doing gates at Beaver Lake on Mont Royal Park 20 years ago. It's a nice well groomed :roll: - well turn grass hill.

There is alos Santa Cabrini park that had a lift when I was a kid, I believe it sleeper than Beaver Lake.

Once you'll be really good and want to try some more extreme grass skiing :lol: - try the hill off the Olympic Stadium below Sherbrooke St.

I was in Laval on Sunday, tried to find Mont Laval at random. I remember it was in Ste-Dorothée (Laval) not far from St.Martin Blvd, but I could find it. That might be another option.
 
Patrick, did you know that the Parc Santa Cabrini is on my ... street :D

The worst thing is that I didn't know there was a t-bar on my street, when we bought the condo !

It's about 3 minutes of car from here and it's sure it's going to be one place I will go a few times this summer... beginning soon ;) lol

However, skiing in a real ski mountain is a lot more interesting ! We did Alta last year. There is a trail there which would be super perfect to do that if they were cutting the grass not only in september. Also, they would have to put a little bit more grass in some places where there is a few little rocks.

You can see the video of last september, it was really a blast, even though it was our first real day of grass-skiing, so we were just like some first timers in ski :D lol

http://www.zoneski.com/frank/herbe.wmv
 
Frankontour":3w4doce2 said:
However, skiing in a real ski mountain is a lot more interesting ! We did Alta last year. There is a trail there which would be super perfect to do that if they were cutting the grass not only in september. Also, they would have to put a little bit more grass in some places where there is a few little rocks.
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That is why I was taking about city park, 'cause I don't know of any "real" mountain where the grass is cut and is not full of rocks. I know the trails at Gray Rocks were pretty manicured (not many rocks), but I don't think the grass would be cut.

You could also try George V park (aka Murray Hill) in Westmount. It's has a nice long slope. People used to ski there in the 20 and 30s.

Santa Cabrini, that 5 minutes from my mother lives.

Personally, I might try sand skiing this summer just for fun. :) I know the spot and my daughter would love to go back there this year.
 
Patrick":kdgdboa0 said:
That is why I was taking about city park, 'cause I don't know of any "real" mountain where the grass is cut and is not full of rocks. I know the trails at Gray Rocks were pretty manicured (not many rocks), but I don't think the grass would be cut.

You could also try George V park (aka Murray Hill) in Westmount. It's has a nice long slope. People used to ski there in the 20 and 30s.

Santa Cabrini, that 5 minutes from my mother lives.

Personally, I might try sand skiing this summer just for fun. :) I know the spot and my daughter would love to go back there this year.
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There is a few places where the grass is cut several times in the year. No need to be perfect... although it's sure that golf grass would be nice... but we would be welcomed with gun shots ! lol

For your mother, yeah, we're near Blvd Rosemont and Lacordaire, so probably not really far from your mother. You should come to see me next time you go her ;)

And for your spot at Lac Erie, I really should mail you one of the "single use" camera that I have here :D
 
I'm not sure about grass skiing, but when I was in my teens, friends and I started leaf skiing in the early fall. We found it to be rather hazardous so we switched over to sand skiing the next summer.


Here's a picture of me doing some sandpit skiing a couple of years ago

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Some other pictures are here: http://www.djangobliss.com/photogallery/picid.137.html - Some people call skiing on anything other than snow sacreligious. I'm of the opinion that skiing on anything is a treat.
 
Frankontour":2ceshfbg said:
And for your spot at Lac Erie, I really should mail you one of the "single use" camera that I have here :D
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I already have a few pictures taken from last summer :D , but I didn't have skis at the times. No one was skiing, but the owner said he did it many years ago.

I will need to find room to add old skis with the camping gear. :shock:
 
Hey, nice pic Djangoski !

I never tried to ski on sand... but I find really sad to know that there is a great place to do it in Tadoussac (QC), but it's completely illegal to make some turns there... while it was an "official place" in the 70s and 80s (or so)

For leaf skiing, it's interesting too ! On the beginner trails, when the ground is enough wet, it should work enough well. The best thing is generally to have a little spot of snow to begin to ski on. After that, we can ski on the grass with normal skis on over 300' long easily :) nice !

Of course, you better avoid rocks ! ;)
 
Frank wrote
lol !
did they ask something ?
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I dont think so. My buddy brought them back. We did this back in 1987 or so. Definately more work than pleasure but at least every time I drive past the salt piles I have a good story!
((*
*))NHPH
 
LOL effectively... just like us when we managed to pass in the woods with an old buick century to avoid the gate at Mt Tremblant north and we hiked the mountain with the car until the snow was beginning.

I broke the car, but at least we got some decent turns easily on may 22th LOL. (what a story to tell after, though... but not too much at my parents, ok ! :oops: )
 
Frankontour":2ilw0xqo said:
I broke the car, but at least we got some decent turns easily on may 22th LOL. (what a story to tell after, though... but not too much at my parents, ok ! :oops: )
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:shock:
Hopefully that your dad doesn't start reading you on FTO as well. :oops:

For sand skiing, I think I would take my old Fischer Racing Cut, last time I used them were on that May 27-28 1985. We skiied the steep downdraft headwall without taking off our skis AND without snow. :shock: Definately no grass or sand here, rock and boulders only. :? I just need to find old ski boots, don't want to get any sand in my good boots.
 
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