View topic - snowshoes

Back when we were a winter people with snow in our souls... https://www.nfb.ca/film/raquetteurs_en

This was a great way to start the day. A glimpse of another era, the decade in which I was born, but in a different place. Thanks for posting this.

Wow, fantastic film. Thanks Alex. I lived in Sherbrooke through the 80's, and there was a club de raquette just down the street from us. I asked a friend about it, as I enjoyed a lot of skiing/snow shoeing then. He replied "Meh. They are a social club, that's all. Not much snow shoeing done by them. All their fun is indoors." I did some researching (a little difficult before internet) and learned about race classes and routes. Interesting stuff. You notice the 2 different race classes in the film? In one the racers must have a part of their snowshoes touching the ground at all times (like race walking), in the other run/sprint class it's all out running. In still another I read of there's cross country, vaulting fences etc. I now wish I'd joined. If not for the snowshoeing, for the "d'apres raquette". Ha!
Great seeing King Street Sherbrooke from the 50's. Funny to see a parade interrupted by a passing train! And did you see who crowned and kissed the Snowshoe Queen?!
I don't know what snow conditions are like there now, but when we lived there we'd have a snow storm just in time for New Years, never fail every year. A huge dump of snow instantly started the ski/snowshoe season for me. And that King Street is steeper than appears in the film. One winter there was a carnivale d'hiver. A ski jump was set up at King and Wellington (main intersection in the NFB film). It was exhilarating standing on the street corner watching freestyle aerialists soaring 2 stories high downtown!

Yup, Maurice the Rocket Richard... wondered if anyone would notice...