
Sarah Carter leads a ‘wooden ski parade’ on a pair of 12-foot wooden skis
BETHEL — Carter’s XC Ski Center boasts an interesting feature. Inside the ski store, resting against the wall, are a pair of almost comically oversized wooden skis, sitting at 12 feet long. These skis nearly touch the ceiling, and don’t seem like they would serve much practical use. However, on Sunday, Jan. 19, these skis were taken from their place and brought outside to be used in an event that Anne Carter, owner of Carter’s, called “Wooden Ski Day”.
The goal of the event was to celebrate the history of cross-country skiing, with a display of old wooden skis, and a talk from Glen Parkinson, president of the Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum. Carter called the event a natural thing to celebrate.
“All they had back then was wood skis,” she said. She, and her late husband David Carter, began the event back at their first location in Oxford in the mid to late 80’s. Carter said they did the event “so people don’t forget the origin of skiing.” The main event of the day was a “wooden ski parade.” Several skiers – some dressed in old fashioned attire – brought their wooden skis out for a lap or two.

Skiers gather at Carter’s XC Ski Center to celebrate wooden ski day
The 12-foot-long wooden skis are the longest skis in New England. Carter suspects they could very well be the longest pair of skis in the US. It’s uncertain what their origin is, but they were given to Carter’s late husband as a gift from a friend who was keeping them in his basement. Parkinson believes that they are of Swedish make, due to the length. The estimated age of these skis dates back to the 1800s. Despite their age and biodegradable material, the skis are still ready to be used, as Sarah Carter demonstrated.

Glen Parkinson demonstrates a ski of Finnish make from Aroostook county
Parkinson also showed off a collection of wooden skis and discussed their history. The talk was shaped as an informal dialogue, with discussion between Parkinson and guests of the event who wanted to learn more about skis. He showed skis of Finnish make, that were made by Finns in Aroostook county as a way of getting to work in the winter.
The skis are distinct for their tapered tops and diamond shaped footpads. He also told the story of Gretchen Fraser, who won America’s first gold medal in skiing on a pair of wooden skis with a ridged top in 1952.
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