Hockey, skiing, and sledding may be the regular activities that come to mind in the colder winter months, but recently some Montréal have been thinking differently. Despite a thick layer of snow on the ground, Parc La Fontaine’s volleyball courts were packed Saturday afternoon.
“We think this is the next winter sport,” said avid gamer Narcissé Nguyen.
From noon to five in the afternoon, about forty players from seven teams braved the -25 degrees Celsius weather to play snow volleyball.
“We looked at each other and said, hey, we’re in North America, we’ve got this snow. How come we are not playing snow volleyball? said Nguyen, who organized the event.
The sport originated in Austria and in recent years spread throughout Europe.
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In Quebec, pandemic restrictions are creating an increase in the popularity of the sport.
“We always think it is a good idea to play snow volleyball. But people were saying, uh, we have an indoor league. Why would we go outside? Nguyen said.
Indoor leagues are being postponed for now, so Nguyen organized the weekly outdoor tournament for the volleyball community.
“It allowed us to see each other outside with the social distancing and the security measures and everything, so it’s fun,” said participant Alexandra Rheault.
The event is free and open to all levels on Saturday afternoon at Parc La Fontaine for the foreseeable future.
“It’s more accessible and it’s a public park, you know, it’s not that far from the center. Anyone can play, ”said assistant Dylan Bielinski-Regan.
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The main thing that differentiates snow volleyball from beach or indoor volleyball is a few extra layers, a snowball, and the surface.
“It hurts a bit because the ice is really harder than the sand or the floor, but it allowed us to do more than just sit at home,” Rheault said.
Already on their first day, the games are serving Nguyen’s intended purposes.
“We are here to promote physical and mental health because people need it,” he told Global News.
Expect it to continue long after the pandemic.
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