“Eric Shipton was one of the great and most acclaimed mountain explorer’s of the 20th Century. After the shock and surprising decision by the Royal Geographical Society and Alpine Club to replace Eric Shipton with Sir John Hunt for the leadership of the 1953 Everest Expedition, Shipton accepted the role as Warden of Outward Bound Mountain School in Eskdale. Although his time in at the school was relatively short, he made a significant impact on the Outward Bound programme.”

His skis were discovered in the loft of the OBMS in 1975. They were in poor condition and badly warped, having been stored there for over 20 years, but have now been partially restored.”

Our good friend Tim Walker wrote the wee note above, having liberated the skis (with permission) and restored them. His mention of the skis being ‘badly warped’ confirms our suspicion that the skis were ‘home-made’. 99% of skis from this era (1930s) have some kind of makers’ name, the absence of which implies home-made, often with unseasoned wood, which tends to warp more than professional varieties.

What remains of the bindings is rather curious as they are of the Norwegian Huitfeldt design, while bearing the DRGM logo which stands for Deutsches Reichs Gebrauchsmuster, translating as a German registration system in use from 1891 to 1945. The other stamp bears the Knights Cross and lettering which may be the German maker’s logo.

So, skis are probably pre World War 2, bindings definitely. More on Huitfeldt bindings elsewhere, much more on Shipton in his books and on-line.