For those truly addicted to the game, building a piste in your own back yard may be the way to go. This holds many advantages: the ability to play whenever the mood strikes, readily available clean bathrooms, and not having to drive home after drinking too much Pastis or wine while playing.
Some feel play can be held on any sort of terrain, but do be aware, if you play on your grass, the boules are likely to take chunks out of your well-manicured lawn. Building a piste adds a lovely bit of landscaping to your yard.
There are many surface types for a piste.
- Gravel: sizes from 20mm down to dust can be used. Larger gravel will be more challenging, as hitting rock can often skew the boule off in another direction. However, if dust is too fine, it can allow the boule to roll too far after it hits the ground.
- Crushed brick: this can offer a lovely color to your piste, but remember, you will also have the dust on your shoes and clothes, and these colored dusts can stain.
- Sand: this absorbs impact well, and you must be careful not to get the sand too deep, or the boules won't roll far enough after impact.
- Crushed shell: in some areas, this is a readily available medium, although most perfer to use gravel instead, due to the jagged edges of the shell.
Also keep in mind the dimensions for your piste when choosing a site. A piste to be 3 meters wide and 12 meters long at the bare minimum. 4 meters x 15 meters is best if you have the room. Games are played over distances from 6 to 10 meters and at various angles.
It's also best to ensure your piste area has adequate drainage, so your piste doesn't become a soggy mess when the water tables are high or after a rain.
Once your site is selected and mapped out, the following steps must be completed.
1. Removing grass or other existing surface
It is important to remove all vegetation, along with all boulders, stumps, or other protruding objects. It is preferable to "scrape" the surface (either manually or mechanically) so as not to disturb the firm base/subsoil. If the subsoil becomes too lose, you will have to repack it prior to laying your piste materials.
2. Level the surface
The piste needs to be on completely level ground. Use a level, sights, etc, to ensure your base is truly level before laying any piste materials onto the terrain.
3. Removing loose soil
All loose soil should be removed as detailed in step 1. Once removed, the area should be sprayed with an all purpose weedkiller and covered in weed-mat to prevent regrowth.
4. Defining the boundary
Defining the boundary can be as simple as where the terrain meets the surrounding grass or can be defined by string or some more permanent structure. Try and avoid something solid like bricks as they can damage the boules if hit directly. Landscaping logs, if available, make a natural edging that will last well. If your piste was on unlevel ground, one side of the piste may need a retaining wall to hold back the soil above, or to hold in the piste soil. If you must use brick or stone, use landscaping timbers to actually outline the piste so the boules do not make contact with the brick or stone surface.
5. Adding the base course, compacting and rolling
The most important aspect of the base course, is not its composition but that it is well compacted. It will be almost impossible to manually compact it sufficiently and it is highly recommended that a mechanical compactor be used.
6. Adding the surface layer
If you have done a proper job in the preparation of the terrain, the addition of the surface layer will be simple in comparison. Spread the chosen surface material to the proper depth (up to 2 inches for some smaller gravel, 1/2-1 inch for sand or gravel dust).
7. Enjoy your piste!
