Friday, July 15, 2005
A roll in the grass
Bryce Resort is home to the only grass skiing operation in the United States
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Mark Taylor is outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times.
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BAYSE -- Standing at the top of a winding ski run at this small Virginia resort, Callie Tucker reached out with her ski poles, gritted her teeth and shoved off.
Grass skiing sure had looked fun. It was turning out to be kind of scary, and a lot of work.
"I think I have a new-found appreciation for snow skiing," said Callie, a 14-year-old from Marietta, Ohio, as she carefully zig-zagged down the slope.
In the world of fringe sports, grass skiing is on the far edge.
Bryce Resort is the only ski area in the country that offers an organized grass skiing program. The sport, which has a relatively strong footing in Europe and some parts of Asia, is not a core activity at Bryce.
"It's just one more amenity for our summertime guests," said Horst Locher, who manages the ski area at the resort, where golf is the most popular warm season sport.
Locher, a native of Germany who has been at the resort since the mid-1960s, brought grass skiing to Bryce in 1976. With its smooth, grassy slopes, the little mountain seemed a good fit for the sport, a popular offseason training technique for European skiers.
Terrain at many U.S. ski resorts isn't suitable for grass skiing. Many slopes are too rocky, sandy, or cut by ditches.
Grass skis use tracks that run on rails, a system not unlike the one that propels military tanks. Ski boots are clipped into the skis, which are less than 2 feet long.
At slow speeds, the sport feels more like roller blading than skiing. That changes with experience, said Ryan Locher, Horst Locher's 26-year-old son.
"In the beginning it's very different than snow skiing," said Ryan Locher, who competed in the grass skiing world championships in Italy in 2003. "But as you progress, it becomes more similar.
"I can carry as much speed on grass skis as I can on snow skis."
Late Tuesday morning eight aspiring grass skiers gathered at the resort's ski area for a lesson in the sport.
Eleven-year-old Christina Ritter of Pennsburg, Pa., had seen grass skiers the day before.
"It just looked fun," she said.
Before the fun came the basics, and just getting down the bunny slope proved challenging for some of the students.
Teresa Gaslin of Orange Park, Fla., fell as she headed down the gentle slope. And she fell as she tried to use the rope tow for a ride back up the hill.
"Can I just stay down here and play with this lady bug?" she joked before becoming serious. "I'm not sure this is going to be my cup of tea."
It wasn't. Thirty minutes into the lesson she took off her skis and called it. A half-hour later she was joined by her husband, Tom, who was also struggling.
"I've slalomed [water] skied my whole life," Tom Gaslin said. "This is a lot different."
The Gaslins got some consolation after bailing out.
"Since you quit, you get free tubing," Locher said to Tom Gaslin, pointing at the resort's new "Mountain Tubing" slide set up.
Locher is a compassionate but demanding coach.
After helping the students with their basic stances -- feet wide, knees tilted in -- he would run behind the students, often grabbing their hips to help guide them down the hill.
"You should be on the sporty side," said Locher, an amazingly fit 65.
Most of the grass skiers at the resort are beginners.
"They are here on vacation," Locher said. "They do it one or two hours and they are happy.
"They can say they did it."
On weekends the slopes get a few regulars who use the sport to stay in shape for snow skiing.
After coaching the remaining students on the basics of stopping and turning, Locher said it was time to ride the lift to the top of the mountain. He assured students he wouldn't send them hurtling into danger.
"I will stay with you," he said with his strong German accent. "Because some, when they see the steep, they freak out."
At the top, Locher added another piece of advice.
"If you get out of control, just throw your body down," he said. "Because you won't get back in control."
The six took off.
Callie, who had been tentative early in the lesson, suddenly looked calm and confident. Her 12-year-old sister, Carson, became more cautious than she had been. Another sister, 24-year-old Brianne Boyce, eventually shed her gear and hiked down to a gentler slope.
A moment later, Morgan Weinstein, Christina's 11-year-old friend, fell.
As the rest of the riders moved down the slope, Morgan stayed on the ground. Locher ran to check on her. The good news was she wasn't hurt. The bad news was she had ripped her pants during the fall. She planned to stay put until she had a ride down the hill.
"We're down to four," Callie said.
"Our numbers are dwindling," agreed her dad, Joe Tucker, one of the four left standing.
Reaching the bottom of the hill, Locher said the lesson was over. The students were free to ride the lift up to continue grass skiing. No one took the offer.
Joe Tucker was proud of his daughters' efforts, and said he was glad to have given the sport a try. "But I'm worn out," he said. "I know when to quit."
Bryce Resort offers grass skiing sessions from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The $27 cost includes instruction and equipment. For more information see bryceresort.com.
