This is a ski with history and character even though its lost its other half. It’s actually a Swiss ‘Staub Elite’ and very unusually has either bone or horn edges which we’ve never seen before. Whether or not this is original or added later we are not sure. Staub were one of the many Swiss ski manufacturers around just before and after the Second World War and as Switzerland hadn’t been decimated by the ravages of war (they remained neutral) their industries prospered in the immediate aftermath. Consequently, large amounts of Swiss skis were imported into the UK; in this case by Lillywhites. The binding is an early Gresvigs Loipe binding. Gresvigs were, and still are in 2012, a large Norwegian sports emporium so this is their loipe or track binding dating from a similar era to the ski.

The major feature of this ski, of course, is the wonderful repair job at the tip which is a work of art and a credit to the owner who we assume has carved the initials ‘SCM’ on the tip. Unfortunately, we don’t know who ‘SCM’ was but thanks for the memory.