The Golden Age of Alpine Skiing

In January 1924, Sir Arnold Lunn founded the Kandahar Ski Club in Murren, Switzerland. At that time the first 'International Winter Sports Weeks' took place in Chamonix, which were later recognised as the first Olympic Winter Games. However, only the Nordic disciplines of cross-country and ski jumping were admitted. Inspired by the initiatives of Lunn, Walter Amstutz founded the Swiss Academic Ski Club (SAS) with his friends on 26 November 1924. But the short period during which these two ski clubs were founded represents more than just historic reminiscences. It is the starting point of a campaign, with an objective to break the monopoly of Nordic skiing in the FIS and to help establish alpine skiing. In retrospect, it is astonishing how quickly the Lunn-Amstutz team, with the help of like-minded friends, managed to achieve the recognition of alpine skiing on an international level.

This book describes these developments of skiing as a sport, from its origins in Scandinavia and Mathias Zdarsky's first attempts in the sport in alpine terrain, through the dramatic dispute over the recognition of the alpine racing disciplines by the FIS and the IOC.

This hardback is a beautifully designed book, with many colour and black and white photos and drawings. It is in both English and German languages.