Anyone remember grass skiing? The flash-in-the-pan non-snow sport first started in Germany in the 1960s as a summer training regimen for ski racers? It's been a while since Warren Miller featured grass skiing in "Ski Country," but an Oregon man is looking to revive the much-mocked sport. And while you may have a hard time deciding whether snow blades or grass skis are lamer, let's give the man a chance, shall we?
Brian McKay is on a mission in Southern Oregon to finally give grass-skiing the fame he thinks it deserves. According to the Great Falls Tribune, the 54-year-old enthusiast is offering to teach people how to grass ski on a small hangliders' hill above Oregon's Emigrant Lake. He'll even let you borrow a set of his well-loved grass skis.
But what McKay really wants is a bigger operation: a place where grass skiers from all walks of life can gather and shred the mountain safely and without ridicule (okay, there still might be a little ridicule).
McKay tells the Great Falls Tribune, "I want some ski buddies. And a hill."
Snow skiers might not love grass skiing; there's no gliding and there's no snow plowing either. Catch an edge and you'll end up with a face full of dirt. And one more thing: you can't really stop. Curious? Watch this clip from Warren Miller's 1984 film, "Ski Country."
So tell us, Curbediverse:
· Oregon man hopes to revive grass skiing [Great Falls Tribune]