The Virginia Ski Resort With A Rich History Of Downhill Grass Skiing
What does a skier do when the snow has melted and the summer sun is beating down on the mountains? Today, the majority of us elect to ride a mountain bike, but some of our forefathers of the 1970s rode skis... on grass.
Grass skiing is a dying sport, but there are a few that still participate by rolling down the grassy trails of places like Bryce Mountain Resort. Check out the fantastic short film about the resort's rich grass skiing history below:
Bryce VA: "There is a rich history of gravity fed sport at Bryce but it didn't start with the bike park. Grass skiing was the main source of adrenaline on the mountain for multiple decades. Operations have changed over the years but the thrill rides remain.
Skier | General Manager, Ryan Locher
Mountain Biker | Elliott Banks
Shot and Edited | Andrew DeVier-Scott
It's pretty neat that Bryce held the Grass Skiing World Championships, but what happened to the sport of grass skiing itself? Why didn't it catch on?
My best guess is that rolling down a mountain is harder than it looks, but who knows? You'd think there would be enough ski-crazed teenagers that would at least try grass skiing if it was available at their local hill.
Wait. I know what the problem is. The teens don't think grass skiing is cool enough. Everybody knows that teens have to think your product is 'cool' for it to be successful in America.
Here's my idea- design a pair of grass skis with slightly smaller wheels and with legit planks that stick out from end-to-end. The idea is to make a pair of grass skis as jib-able as possible so the teens can ski park features.
You can't tell me LINE skis wouldn't sell a bajillion pairs if they slapped Tom Wallisch's name on a pair and made it possible for every 12-year-old park rat to ski all summer long. Just think about the backyard park setups alone.
Hit me up grass ski manufactures. I've got some ideas.
Bryce Resort Stats/Info (Winter):
Vertical: 500 ft.
Skiable Terrain: 25 ac.
Average Snowfall: 30 in.
Lifts: 5
Trails: 8
Snowmaking: YES
Night Skiing: YES
Mega-Pass: Indy Pass
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