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In Arcachon, in Gironde, there is a rather special ski slope. It is indeed the pine needles that act as snow.
AT Arcachon (Gironde), skiing has been practiced on pine needles since 1938. The 200-meter track provided for this purpose hosted competitions at the time. These events, which attracted up to 1,000 spectators, ended in 1970 after an accident. Today, a handful of diehards keep this track going, like Dominique Maitrot, a needle skier who has been skiing down it for 70 years and ensures its maintenance.
“We are not weather-dependent”
“I’m very manic because I take it very seriously, so it has to be a well maintained track”explains Dominique Maitrot. “We are not weather-dependent, that’s the advantage”jokes a skier on needles. “You have to think about global warming. No ascent: we play sports. There’s no need to move snow either,” abounds another. No matter the surface, as long as you have the intoxication of sliding.
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