Grass Skiing
Grass skiing started in France in the year 1966 as a method for the training of alpine skiing. Short skis, which were actually rolling treads, much like the ones on tanks; or wheels were used in it. These would be attached to skier’s boots and thereafter a grassy downhill slope was to be found. Now, depending on the skills of the grass skier, the high speeds and jumps would be navigated. Such an area of the sport has not really been as popular as the others.
Grass skiing is many a times considered summer’s answer to winter snow skiing. While it is not as popular as the cold weather counterpart, grass skiing has definitely made a name for itself and today, it even has an international club to boast of. It is usually more popular in the European nations than the United States. As a matter of fact, grass skiing is a legitimate way of extending your ski season, as well as ski all year round.
Several skiers have set up their own pistes as a substitute to grass ski centers or the grassy mountainous regions. Moreover, the aspiring alpine skiers, as well as skiing beginners in general may try this skiing variation in order to learn the skiing moves, as well as techniques, much before the onset of snow.
Grass skiing was invented by Richard Martin in Germany and was initially created as a training method for the skiers even before the winter season has actually started. Later on Martin introduced this new skiing variation in the Vosges region in France. Eventually, it has grown up in terms of popularity and has become widely known in the country.
Starting up as a competitive sport, grass skiing has been able to gain a worldwide audience and subsequently there have been ski modifications through the years. You can find grass skiing centers in Austria, China, Europe, Iran, Japan, Switzerland and Taiwan. Traditionally, the skis used in case of grass skiing had been like rolling treads attached to ski boots. Nowadays, there are mainly two types of skis, which is used in case of grass skiing. These include the wheeled models, as well as the tracked ones. The wheeled model might be used in case of various terrains and for the freestyle, as well as off piste action. The tracked model on the other hand has been specifically designed to be used in case of grassy slopes.
Grass skiers also make use of the ski poles, just like in case of snow skiing. For the purpose of protection, grass skiers tend to wear padding on the legs, elbows, as well as helmets.
By: Jasmine Walker
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Filed under Recreation And Sports by on Jun 30th, 2010.
