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| Introduction | The Beginning | Skis | Bindings | Ski Boots | Ski Poles | Tip to Tale Chapter VI—Clothing | |
^ This skier sports a cap and tie, a look that was popular among early east-cost sports skiers. Photo courtesy of The Art of Skiing.
^ Norwegian skiers wearing clothing designed for hunting and outdoor recreation Photo: Come Ski With Me. |
Clothing When discussing ski equipment, it is important not to forget clothing. Ski clothing manufacturers take into consideration two very important factors when designing ski wear—fashion and function. Skiers not only need to keep warm while they ski, they need to look good doing it. In the last few decades, ski clothing has become arguably more important than skis. This, however, hasn’t always been the case. Clothing designed specifically for skiing has only existed for about 50 years. Prior to 1936, the term "ski clothing" never entered the skiers vocabulary. Those few who were brave enough to step into a pair of skis would wear just about anything to keep the winter out. In most cases this meant clothing that was suitable for outdoor use, though not specifically designed for skisport. For example, the Sierra ski racers of a century ago favored standard workshirts and high ankle work boots covered with gaiters. Ski pants were no different than those worn everyday. In some photos the Sierra racers even appear to be wearing the original model Levis, a trend that would resurface again in the 1960s. Between the days of the goldrush and the late 1920s, typical ski attire advanced to more traditional outdoor clothing. This included woolen hunting clothes which were unquestionably warm but tended to restrict movement, knickers and riding breeches which provided a bit more freedom, and baggy pants that tucked into socks but made wild flapping noises as the skier went down the slopes. |
| Womens’ Ski Fashion Early ski fashion for women was far more confined. Due to societal expectations of female conduct, women were limited in what they could wear. Long woolen skirts were mandatory as late as the first decade of the century. While the heavy skirts may have been considered modest, they were certainly not functional. Numerous newspaper accounts testify that women often lost ski races as a result of the drag created by their skirts. Tired of their inability to ski in comfort, women began to challenge the standards imposed upon them by society. By the late 1920s they had tossed their skirts aside for good and replaced them with the knickers long worn by men. Not only did this change provide them with more freedom, it also offered them a touch of style. From the mid-1930s on, style would become a standard aspect of all men’s and women’s ski fashions. |
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| The Birth of an Industry By the early 1930s the first clothing designed specifically for skiing was introduced. Popular items included woolen caps, Norwegian reindeer sweaters, short military style gabardine jackets, tweed wool knickers and baggy gabardine trousers worn with a belt and a tucked-in sweater. Parkas were also popular. Some were little more than waterproof shells while others were elaborate double-breasted V-necks lined with bearskin. Most of these items were manufactured in Europe where both skiing and ski clothing were considerably more established. In fact, during the first half of the 1930s only three firms—Slalom Skiwear, Sun Valley Ski Clothing Company and White Stag—manufactured ski clothing in the United States. Of these three, Slalom was the very first. |
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SLALOM In 1968, the small company was purchased by Profile SkiWear. Three years later in was sold to three partners, one of whom was the great-nephew of Benjamin Moore. The name of the company was changed to Slalom Skiwear Incorporated and new lines of outdoor sports clothing were added. Under this ownership Slalom Skiwear became a great success.
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^ Photo courtesy of Ski Magazine. |
WHITE STAG Like Slalom Skiwear, White Stag’s roots can also be traced to an industry other than skiing. The company began as the Willamette Tent and Awning Company, located in Portland, Oregon. In its first years of production, the company manufactured sails for deep water sailing ships as well as hatch covers, deck awnings and sea bags. The company eventually changed its name to Hirsch-Weiss Canvas Products, after the founders, and expanded production to include items for loggers, mill workers and stockmen. Hirch-Weiss’s first clothing item was a rugged, stiff rain suit made from sailcloth that had been dipped in paraffin. Soon after, the company began producing other items such as mackinaws, gloves and saddlebags. In 1929, Harold S. Hirsch, son of the founder and member of the Dartmouth ski team, was granted permission from his father to develop a new line of clothing designed exclusively for skiers. He adopted the name White-Stag after an inverted English translation of the original company name, Weiss meaning white in German and Hirsch meaning a male deer. At this time, ski clothing was still essentially unheard of in the United States, and skiing itself was something that most Americans had never tried. Still, Harold Hirsch was convinced that skiing as a sport would eventually take off and skiers would need something more functional than standard outdoor gear. He designed his first outfit, a one piece jumping suit, for the Dartmouth Ski Club. Soon he began marketing his line to ski shops and department stores around the nation. The business grew steadily and by the outbreak of World War II, White Stag was selling ski pants made of wool gabardine, whipcord, and whiptex, as well as poplin jackets, wool sweaters and animal fur jackets. During the late 1940s, in order to operate twelve full months out of the year, the company expanded its line to include clothing for all seasons. |
^ 1932 ski fashions designed by Schiaparelli. Aspen Historical Society photo |
In Search of a Style Originally, ski clothing manufacturers produced styles that tended to be baggy for comfort and movement and woolen for warmth. According to one observer, "the ski pants looked like voluminous, elongated balloons drooping down past the knee." Responding to frequent demands for a trimmer look, the Sun Valley Ski Clothing Company, founded in 1938 by Lew Russfield, introduced a pair of ski pants that sported a tapered, non-baggy look. Considered far more sexy than the baggy gabardines, Sun Valley’s ski pants became an instant hit. The term "non-baggy," however, didn’t exactly indicate a tight fit since the pants still had to be cut large enough to allow for maximum movement. It was apparent that some type of stretch fabric was needed in order to meet the demands of both fashion and function. Harold Hirsh, founder of White Stag, experimented with a Swiss material that combined wool and Latex, but found that it couldn’t be dry cleaned. Lew Russfield of Sun Valley tried a French material composed of elastic. His material couldn’t be ironed. Frustrated, both designers gave up and waited for someone else to find the solution. They didn’t wait long.
Some late ‘40s early ‘50s Aspen fashion—Top: Fred Iselin, sporting a classy ensemble featuring belted woolen pants and a trim sweater; Georgette Thiollière (the worlds best woman skier at the time) wearing a hooded parka, belted at the waist to prevent flapping as well as to highlight the female form; Friedl Pfeifer at the Ski School meeting place, wearing a traditional ski sweater tucked into belted woolen ski pants, and Flo Glidden (wife of Fred Glidden, better known as Luke Short, author of best-selling pulp westerns) wearing a stylish ski suit. Aspen Historical Society photos |
