Grass skis in response to the lack of snow

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White ribbons in a green landscape. This image formed the snowless winter and made those responsible for tourism break out in a cold sweat. There has not been so little snow on the higher areas in 50 years. In the range of 1000 to 2000 meters, it was the winter with the least snowfall since measurements began.

Everyone was happy that the climate activists stuck to the highways and not the snow cannons.

After the record winter of 21/22, sobering has set in again. People are looking for alternatives to skiing. Cycle paths, toboggan runs, suspension bridges. Everything is thought of when the slopes remain green.

The solution is obvious. After ski season is before ski season. The key word here is grass skiing. A sport that was already integrated by the International Ski Association in 1985 and has since been an official sport of the FIS. Slalom, giant slalom, super-G and super combination are on the schedule. A world championship is held every two years.

Grass skiing was more popular in the 1970s and early 1980s than it is today. And was always part of the sports panorama next to the shooting with Albrecht Moser, the bicycle ball with Oberhänsli/Meili and the bicycle cross with Albert Zweifel. Erika Hess also went grass skiing in the summer for training purposes.

Grasski would now be an alternative for all cable car operators and tourist strategists. The best Swiss grass skier is called Mirko Hüppi. The 33-year-old slalom specialist from Gommiswald SG is a four-time world champion and has 15 World Cup victories to his name. At the age of 10 he stood on grass skis for the first time.

The men’s national team consists of three members. In Italy, in Austria, in Slovakia, but also in Japan, the sport is much more popular. In Switzerland there is only a fixed practice slope on the Marbachegg in Entlebuch LU. Where the home race will take place from September 8. After the World Cup, which will take place in Cortina (I) at the end of August.

«The slopes must be prepared. If cows have grazed before, you are not allowed to drive,’ says slalom specialist Hüppi. Another problem: grass skis are expensive to maintain. The rollers must be cleaned and oiled. And: Braking is only possible on a large bend. There are no slip phases. That’s why grass skiers have always sculpted.

Does global warming play into the hands of grass skiing? “It is possible that alpine skiers will need alternatives again in the summer when the glaciers get tight,” says Hüppi.

Many fools graze on the meadow of hope, as the saying goes. Now the green field could become a hope for the mountain railway operators if there is a lack of snow. Is grass skiing experiencing a new boom?

Source : Blick