Objects Database

Ski poles

Accession Number

742.2009.1

Object Name

Ski poles

Created

22/01/2009

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

22/01/2009

Brief Description

Pair of cane ski poles with leather hand straps, cane and leather baskets and metal spikes.

Materials

cane, metal, leather

Dimensions

150 (l) x 5.5( circumference ) cms

Number Of Objects

1 pair

Inscription Description

"MOD AMSTUTZ" on poles.

Colour

light brown

Provenance

Apart from using a short ski for 'kicking' and a longer one for 'gliding' early skiers only used one pole, the concept of using two poles, or sticks, only becoming popular in the late 1800's, a cross country race at Huseby in Norway in 1888 being one of the first times they were used competitively, though Finnish woodsmen had been using them for a while before that.
At the start of the 20th century, ski sticks were pretty much home made affairs cut from hazel or ash and early ski club journals ran articles on how to make your own. Later there were imports of bamboo from French Indo China which, being lighter, stronger and more flexible, were more suited to the task. Folk still made their own, but as the sport of skiing developed manufacturers saw a market and started producing sticks 'en masse' whilst extolling the various virtues of their own products compared to others. Bamboo gave way to aluminium, plastic, glass fibre, alloy and ultimately carbon fibre. Whilst not going quite that far, we do have an excellent range of sticks in our collection most of which seem to have had an interesting life.
We've put two and two together for this pair and hopefully got an even number. Walter Amstutz was a Swiss skier based in St. Moritz in the 1930's. We know he produced a thing called the Amstutz Heel Spring, which was designed to help stabilise boots in the new sport of downhill skiing, so we are taking a guess that these fine poles are from the same camp.
Looking like they come from that era or maybe a wee bit later, they look very well made (as we'd expect from the Swiss) and very little used. Though showing the passage of time they are in very good condition and another interesting addition to the collection.

Acquisition Method

passed on from Scottish Ski Club

Acquisition Date

01/12/2008

Condition Check Date

28/04/2009

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/04/2009

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