Grass Skiing

The write-up

Skiing without snow. Grass skis roll on tracks of tiny rollers, and they've had their own world championships since 1979.

1. Exhibit A

   Invention

   Josef Kaiser of Geislingen an der Steige, near Stuttgart, invented the grass ski. Sources date it between 1960 and 1966. It was first used as summer training for alpine skiers.

2. Exhibit B

   The skis

   A typical pair of grass skis has about 192 rolls and some 1,500 parts. They're made to be carved, so skiers can't snowplow or hockey-stop.

3. Exhibit C

   Early competition

   A European Cup began in 1971 and European Championships in 1976. Germany's ski association added a grass-skiing section in 1976, and Austria's followed in 1978.

4. Exhibit D

   World Championships

   The first World Championships were held in 1979 at Bryce Resort in Virginia. Later hosts included Alberschwende, Austria (1981), Kiama, Australia (1983) and Nobeyama, Japan (1987).

5. Exhibit E

   FIS takes over

   The International Grass Ski Federation ran the World Championships until 1985. That year the FIS took grass skiing in at its Vancouver congress, and the grass ski federation voted to dissolve.

6. Exhibit F

   Still raced

   The World Championships are held every two years under the FIS. A World Cup replaced the European Cup in 2000, and Iran won the 2015 World Cup team title.