I knew about hardwoods and conifers, but I knew nothing about brazier trees.
Published at 1:54 am. Updated at 7:30 a.m.
It has to be said that I don't ski. In fact, I tried it twice: my first descent went lightning fast (I was a short man) and stopped when my body smashed the ski racks at the end of the track. The second happened on a snowmobile because I had just thrown myself off the ski lift, completely scared (long story). In short, I was surprised when a colleague told me that at several train stations in Quebec we find trees decorated with bras, panties or necklaces.
For what ? I asked that.
Good question that he answered.
I stopped at nothing to inform the public during this peak ski season and tried to find answers.
“It’s a mystery,” Evelyne Déry first told me (tell me about an investigation that’s off to a rapid start). The communication consultant from Bromont, montagne d'experiences, interviewed her colleagues to find out the origin of the few brassiere trees found under the slope of the lake. Verdict: Nobody knows.
At the Association of Quebec Ski Resorts, I was also told that they had “no verified information on the phenomenon.” On the other hand, articles published in English on the same topic were recommended to me. It was only when I read them that I realized that the versions differ.
Legend has it that the tradition began in the 1960s so that ski instructors could testify about their sexual conquests from the previous day.
Panties and bras, like trophies. According to other sources, the practice emerged two decades later simply to mark the spirit of rebellion. Going against convention, here are my underwear. Some say it was more of a way for women to show that they were there too. In a male-dominated industry, they had found a way to be seen.
Powder magazine presents a more concrete story: The first brassiere tree appeared in Aspen, Colorado, in the late 1970s. The station managers had just hired their first female patrol officer and, wanting to welcome more women to the team, had few men available for applications. Employees frustrated by the decision reportedly dropped a nursing bra from the top of a ski lift and onto a tree. Ignoring the political significance of the gesture, people would have imitated it for humor…
Who tells the truth?
“I don’t know the reliable answer,” replied Isabelle Falardeau modestly. The professor in the Department of Leisure, Culture and Tourism Studies at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR) was once director of the Aspen Snow Park. She interviewed her former colleagues and searched the archives, to no avail.
Whether we discover the true origin of the tradition or not, it is still important to address it, she believes.
It allows us to understand ski culture and the various connections to its countercultures, particularly sexual liberation.
Isabelle Falardeau, Professor in the Department of Leisure, Culture and Tourism Studies at UQTR
Isabelle Falardeau explained to me that there are very different poles in the world of skiing. There is serious and regulated competition that reflects the elitism of the sport. Then there is a scene of celebration and freedom, populated by “ski bums.”
“In Quebec there were connections between the turbulent social context of the 1960s and 1970s and skiing. In the ski centers we could express our freedom, our practices of free love, our rejection of authority…”
The researcher emphasizes that Roger Cardinal's film Après Ski was inspired by this idea. The erotic comedy about a young teacher who discovers the carnal aspect of his duties caused a scandal in 1966. Thanks to a large budget and the presence of several stars (including Daniel Pilon, René Angélil, Francine Grimaldi and Raymond Lévesque) the work attracted attention. She also drew ire for being convicted of obscenity under the Penal Code.
Although times have changed, “an aura of sexual liberation remains with skiing,” believes Isabelle Falardeau. Taking off your underwear in the middle of the ski lift means subscribing to them with a grin. It's also part of a long tradition of nudity… As the professor lists it: People ski naked to demonstrate against climate change; trying to fly over a body of water in spring; to raise awareness about breast cancer; or to have fun and post photos that get people talking on social networks (we salute American comedian Chelsea Handler).
For Isabelle Falardeau, the underwear tree is part of these “festive manifestations of hedonism.”
Speaking of celebrating, she also told me that American ski resorts host several Mardi Gras activities, a time when athletes primarily throw their pendants. This would perhaps explain the presence of a beaded tree at Orford…
Clearly I underestimated what a handful of panties, bralettes, and jewelry could mean.
“At UQTR, our department seeks to understand society through leisure practices,” concludes Isabelle Falardeau. I believe that the Underwear Tree allows us to capture some parts of our history. »