The Culture and Sport of Skiing

by Allen, E. John B.

• ISBN13: 9781558496019
• ISBN10: 1558496017
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-08-01
• Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Pr

Summary

A comprehensive history of skiing from its earliest origins to the outbreak of World War II, this book traces the transformation of what for centuries remained an exclusively utilitarian practice into the exhilarating modern sport we know today. E. John B. Allen places particular emphasis on the impact of culture on the development of skiing, from the influence of Norwegian nationalism to the role of the military in countries as far removed as Austria, India, and Japan. Although the focus is on Europe, Allen's analysis ranges all over the snow-covered world, from Algeria to China to Zakopane. He also discusses the participation of women and children in what for much of its history remained a male-dominated sport. Of all the individuals who contributed to the modernization of skiing before World War II, Allen identifies three who were especially influential: Fridtjof Nansen of Norway, whose explorations on skis paradoxically inspired the idea of skiing as sport; Arnold Lunn of England, whose invention of downhill skiing and the slalom were foundations of the sport's globalization; and Hannes Schneider, whose teachings introduced both speed and safety into the sport. Underscoring the extent to which ancient ways persisted despite modernization, the book ends with the Russo-Finnish War, a conflict in which the Finns, using equipment that would have been familiar a thousand years before, were able to maneuver in snow that had brought the mechanized Soviet army to a halt. More than fifty images not only illustrate this rich history but provide further opportunity for analysis of its cultural significance.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Archeology and Myth	p. 7
Bog Finds and Rock Art	p. 8
Tales from the Sagas	p. 14
Linguistics	p. 17
Skis for a Purpose	p. 22
The Wooden-Board People of Asia	p. 23
The Outlandish North, c. 500-1650	p. 24
Defense and Competition, 1650-1826	p. 30
Enlightened Europe Marvels at Skiing	p. 33
Skiing in Isolation: Bloke	p. 34
The Norwegian Thrust	p. 36
Old Skis in a Modernizing World	p. 36
The Norwegian Case	p. 39
Norwegian Skiing Spreads South	p. 42
Sport for Health	p. 49
Creating Nationalism: The Land of Eternal Snow	p. 50
Fridtjof Nansen	p. 56
Across Greenland in 1888	p. 58
Farthest North	p. 61
Europe Catches Nansen Fever	p. 64
Norwegians Abroad	p. 67
Creating the Skisport	p. 70
Exhibitions	p. 70
Manufacturing, Improving, and Distributing Equipment	p. 72
Winter Stations: Comfort First	p. 76
Chamonix-Mont Blanc	p. 78
Wooing a Clientele, 1900-1914	p. 80
The Mechanics of Tourism	p. 84
Skisport Made Easy	p. 88
The English Play	p. 90
The Elite and Their Clubs	p. 91
Mountaineering and Ski Mountaineering	p. 95
Inventing Downhill and Slalom	p. 99
The French Worry	p. 107
The Health of the Nation	p. 108
French Alpine Club in Charge	p. 111
The Military's Show	p. 114
The Germans and Austrians Organize	p. 122
The Military Takes Up Skiing	p. 122
Instruction, Civil and Military	p. 124
Earliest Alpine Ski Technicians: Zdarsky and Bilgeri	p. 126
Club Skiing	p. 129
Children on Skis	p. 130
Spreading the Word	p. 133
Growth of Skiing	p. 134
Skiing in Eastern Europe	p. 136
The Ladies Ski	p. 140
Wealth, Health, and Mores	p. 141
On Corsets and Trousers	p. 144
Entertainment or Competition?	p. 148
The Great War	p. 153
Preparing for War	p. 153
The Reality of Combat	p. 157
Uneasy Peace-Les Annees Folles	p. 164
Concerns of the French	p. 165
Swiss Efficiency	p. 169
The New Woman on Skis	p. 176
The Winter Olympic Games of Chamonix, St. Moritz, Lake Placid	p. 181
Holmenkollen and Nordiska Spelen	p. 182
Controlling the Skisport	p. 185
Confronting Problems: Amateurs, Alpine Skiing, and Norwegians	p. 190
Lake Placid 1932	p. 195
Europeans Abroad in the East	p. 198
China: No Converts Here	p. 199
Japan Follows Europe's Lead	p. 201
Rustic Ski Life in New Zealand	p. 206
Australia: Above Worry Level	p. 208
Recreating Murren in India	p. 212
Europeans Abroad in the Americas	p. 216
U.S.A.	p. 216
Gold Rush Skiers	p. 217
Midwestern Immigrants: Beating the Record	p. 218
New England College Men Catch On	p. 222
Alpine Ski Fever	p. 224
"Bend ze Kneez"	p. 226
Mechanization for a New Clientele	p. 227
The Lure of the West	p. 230
Canada	p. 233
Eastern Skiing Mechanizes	p. 235
South America	p. 237
Skiing Under Siege	p. 241
Mussolini Infiltrates Sports	p. 243
Anti-Semitism in Austria and Germany	p. 245
The "Crusade for the Ski" in France	p. 247
Up-Ski Revolution	p. 253
Nazi Politics and Nazi Olympics	p. 254
The Schneider Phenomenon	p. 260
Inventing the Arlberg Technique	p. 261
Schneider and Fanck: The Wonders of Skiing	p. 262
Skimeister to the World	p. 264
Political Disruptions on the Race Course	p. 266
Anschluss	p. 268
The American Connection	p. 271
The Russo-Finnish War	p. 275
Before the War	p. 275
Soviet Invasion	p. 275
Epilogue	p. 283
Notes	p. 293
Bibliographic Note on Selected Archives	p. 373
Index	p. 377
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