Jackrabbit, an interesting short read

[fisheater]

https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/12/10/t ... ing-strong


I enjoyed this. I hope some of you gentlemen do as well.

[Nick BC]

That’s a great read Fish. Thanks for sharing

[Stephen]

Nice read. Too bad the photos were missing.

[joeatomictoad]

What an inspirational character. Northern Europeans (esp. Scandinavians) have a certain stoicism in their blood that never ceases to make me chuckle. I always wondered what organized crime would look like from this peninsula if it was dramatized on the tele.

Back to the point, inspiration. This guy is a good litmus test for ego. If you think you're cool, then have you brought a remote civilization greater access to the resources they need to subsist? If you think you're cool, have you brought greater access to a sport/hobby to multiple 1st world countries to enjoy?

We can't all have the same accomplishments as 111-year old homeboy here, but his values are worthy of my emulation. Thanks for sharing.

[fisheater]

That’s a great read Fish. Thanks for sharing

Nick, I think you’re in the over 50 club. When you get to a certain age you just respect someone that keeps going at a high level. I read elsewhere where Mr. Johannsen led a group of Olympic skiers after the games for a ski tour. Jackrabbit was 56 at the time, the story didn’t give mileage, but related the tour would have taken average hikers four day days. After that Mr. Johannsen stated there would be a full moon, good for night skiing, would the group be up to skiing up to the Mt. Marcey summit? After all coming down in the moonlight would be magic!
Those are not quotes, but that was the gist of the story. Of course no world class young buck would turn down a legend in his middle 50’s.
Quite a man.

[connyro]

Thanks for the good read fish!

[lowangle al]

Jackrabbit was an inspiration for me back in the late 70s when I started xc skiing. I believe he was still racing then, at over 100. I didn't know much about him or what happened to him, so thanks for posting this fish.

[Shintangle]

Over the years I have skied extensively in the Laurentians north of Mtl. All the trails are great but you can tell when you are on a trail cut by Jackrabbit. It just flows so perfectly. Unfortunately many kms of those trails are disappearing due to development.
The Maple Leaf trail, Johannsen est, Oxford-Cambridge, and the Wizzard are certainly some of the best x-c trails I have skied. The down mountain trails from Johannsen peak at Mt Tremblant were fantastic but the last time I was there they were almost unskiable. The resort has encouraged snowshoeing on those trails which leaves a deep trench down the middle which makes climbing and descending almost impossible. Very sad for us.
We skied with a local group who new the trails and access points. Interestingly you can now find the trails on Gaia Maps.

[Smitty]

The National Film Board has a short documentary on Jackrabbit that you can stream on their website. Always an inspirational watch at the beginning of ski season. What an incredible fella.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/jack_rabbit/

Side note, if you want to get your stoke up for paddling next summer, there's a bunch of Bill Mason stuff on the NFB site too. Highly recommend!

https://www.nfb.ca/film/song_of_the_paddle/

[dhdaines]

The down mountain trails from Johannsen peak at Mt Tremblant were fantastic but the last time I was there they were almost unskiable. The resort has encouraged snowshoeing on those trails which leaves a deep trench down the middle which makes climbing and descending almost impossible. Very sad for us.
We skied with a local group who new the trails and access points. Interestingly you can now find the trails on Gaia Maps.

You can't ski down the ones on the south face at all anymore - they have been designated for uphill travel only. We got special permission to go down the Johannsen the last TDL and it was surprisingly pleasant. Of course right now there is almost zero natural snow at Mont-Tremblant, which isn't the greatest even in a normal winter (whatever that is anymore) and you have to go up the edges of the ski runs anyway, which is mildly unpleasant.

The Nord-Sud, Ruisseau des Pruches, O'Connor Nord, etc, are still good for skiing. Tour de Timber will be going away soon as they are extending the resort onto that peak so ski it while you can.

The trails are on Gaia Maps because me and other people are maintaining the traces on OpenStreetMap Also, there is an effort underway to "resurrect" the full Maple Leaf as a through trail from Saint-Faustin to Prévost. Obviously it won't be able to go straight through the middle of Saint-Sauveur anymore...