The historical starting point for talking about ski suits is the 1920s. It was there, during this period, that skiing gained momentum. Arnold Lunn establishes the first modern rules for ski competitions. More than a hobby, he wants to make it a sport.
There was no idea, at that time, that ski suits could be aerodynamic. Thus, the jacket is rudimentary and not very comfortable. Made up of wool, velvet, leather, fur and tweed, it serves more to protect you from the cold than to go faster. And the pants, baggy and tight at the ankle, are not examples of aerodynamics, since their width exposes them to strong wind resistance.
Emile Allais, pioneer of the desire for performance
We had to wait until the 1930s to see “real” ski pants arrive. And it was under the leadership of Emile Allais that it was born. The French champion is looking for a more efficient suit that hugs his legs. The Frenchman goes to Megève to meet Armand Allard, a renowned tailor.
Emile Allais told him of his desires: he wanted more comfortable and efficient equipment. Armand Allard listened to him and then created the jumping spindle, the first name given to his invention because it had an elastic band that passed under the foot. Emile Allais adopts it and accumulates successes. If the top remains rudimentary, a slight step forward is made with increased comfort, greater resistance to the cold and above all waterproof clothing.
Zeno Colò’s winning outfit
It was the 1950s, and more particularly the year 1952, which shifted the combinations into another paradigm; “suits for performance.”
Thus, during the 1952 Olympic Games which took place in Oslo, the Italian Zeno Colò took the start of the downhill with a jacket which adhered to his body. In this jacket made of nylon with bi-elastic tulle at the elbows and sides, he became an Olympic champion. This model, more comfortable and durable, is adopted by all skiers.
Lycra makes its appearance
We had to wait until the 1960s to see the creation of lycra and the democratization of the one-piece suit. A real leap forward, it is made of a more resistant and much more elastic fiber than the previous model. Mixed with nylon and wool, lycra further increases performance, comfort and offers remarkable elasticity (we are talking here about a material that can stretch up to eight times its original size).
In the early 1970s, rubber materials were added. But, although more aerodynamic, two problems arise: the suits do not allow breathing and they aggravate athletes’ injuries during a fall, causing, in particular, burns. This new model only lasts a few years.
Hans Hess, father of modern combination
But it was also during this decade that a man revolutionized the wetsuit and took skiing into a new dimension: the Swiss Hans Hess. This trained mechanic contributed greatly to the success of Swiss skiers by developing the first aerodynamic racing suits.
The idea came to him in Wengen while he was attending the Lauberhorn races. When the dog’s head passes, he hears a whistling sound from the baggy pants floating in the air, “a noise as if a fast train was passing“, as he told “Wiler Nachrichten” one day. He then set out to create a faster outfit, one that would stick to the athletes’ skin.
“He invented this combination and tinkered in his basement with a colleague (editor’s note: Hannes Keller) who had already made diving suits. This is how this racing suit came into being and has continued to be perfected ever since.e”, explains Walter Graff. According to legend, Hess, who had no experience in the matter, used his wife’s ski pants to carry out tests. Without ever being discouraged by the mockery of some, he continued his research and carries out wind tunnel tests in order to perfect and refine his invention.
Every detail counts
Nowadays, precision is pushed to such a point that every athlete has a suit of a specific size. Tight-fitting, it is made of polyurethane (between 85 and 90%) and polyester (between 10 and 15%), it reduces wind resistance by 50%!
Crucially, a suit that allows less than 30 liters of air per square meter to pass is prohibited because it would move too quickly. Any athlete who starts a race with an unapproved – therefore untested – suit is disqualified.
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