Rewind

Till the Pisteurs Kicked Us Off

The heady closing day parties at Grand Montets, France, like this one on May 5, 1990, always included a massive après scene with music at the top of the tram dock. Photo: Greg Von Doersten
“The heady closing day parties at Grand Montets, France, like this one on May 5, 1990, always included a massive après scene with music at the top of the tram dock. Then the annual Chinese Downhill via mono, antique skis or whatever ‘le ski bums’ could find, and on to the ‘faire la fête’ festivities at the Lognan Midstation. On this day, Henri Durand, an old ski bum friend, schussed down the Lognan Bar stairs on a vintage pair of Dynastar skis with Salomon bindings and the Raichle Flexon Comp ski boots—which were a game changer in the industry in the early ‘80s. The revelry didn’t stop until the pisteurs (patrollers) kicked us off the hill and we skied our way to the late-night bonfires and parties down in Argentière. Sadly, the Grand Montets tram burned down in the summer of 2018. Closing day parties haven’t been the same since.” Photo: Greg Von Doersten