A ski slope made from pine needles was created in 1938 and very popular until 1970 in a forest in Arcachon, Gironde.
Sliding enthusiasts maintain it and would like to give it a second life.
Gathered in an association, they would like that arrangements be made to allow in particular to give ski lessons.
Getting your pair of skis out of your car to go among the pines in Arcachon is the daily life of Dominique Maitrot, a sparkling septuagenarian.
This Arcachonnaise is quite proud of the track of pine needles or grépin in local patois, which she has frequented since her childhood.
She presents it with a satisfied gesture of the hand, giving to appreciate the thick mattress collected by her care and spread over the 200 meters of track.
"You don't need pieces of wood or dog droppings or cigarette butts, I sort it out and collect it in the forest," she explains.
See how beautiful the track is!
".
She rushes into it with undisguised pleasure and skis back, packing down the grapple so that it is always impeccable, an obsession we tell you!
With her brother Jérôme Maitrot, she is active in the association of skiing on pine needles in Arcachon to try to revive interest in this track which had its heyday between 1938 and 1970.
" It was extraordinary "
“We didn't go clubbing, we went to the ski slope with young people,” recalls Roland Maubourguet, a former skier.
He lived in Facture and went there every Sunday afternoon with his friends.
It was then used as a training track for young people, before they tried their hand at alpine skiing.
“It was extraordinary remembers Dominique Maitrot.
There was even a springboard on the right of the track.” The track was created in 1938 and between the post-war period and 1970, an official competition of the French Ski Federation was even held there every year.
A small butt lift was installed in 1963, but a child seriously injured his hand in 1968 by putting his fingers in the pulley system of the lift.
"The accident had nothing to do with skiing," said Jérôme Maitrot, president of the association.
But after this event, the activity on the track decreases.
A new life desired for the track
Today, some local enthusiasts and curious people delighted to discover the site try it from time to time.
“A surfer came recently, says Dominique Maitrot.
As soon as she picked up speed she got up as if she were on a wave”.
Skiing, sledding, snowboarding, surfing: all sliding sports lend themselves to a descent on a grapple.
“I'm delighted that the children are coming, it motivates me a lot,” explains Dominique Maitrot, who always has a sled in the trunk of his car.
When Lucas, 7, arrives with his mum, she immediately offers him to try it.
He will descend the track twice in a row, delighted with this surprise activity at the bend of a walk in the forest.
Before his second run, Dominique Maitrot offers him to "wax" his sled with a little wax, for more sensations.
“We would like to redo a supervised structure by giving ski lessons to children who have never seen snow”, explains the president, who recalls that three ski resorts close each year in France, for lack of snow.
He is waiting for the city, owner of the site, to respond to the requests of his association.
“We have to make this track live, insists the Arcachonnaise, and you can slide there all year round, it's a four-season track.
She dreams of a small chalet at the bottom of the slope to rent skis, like in the old days...
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Bordeaux
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Hobbies
Forest
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