Impressive «Skispuren» of a Briten

Who invented them? The Swiss. No, unfortunately not. Let's be honest. In this case, it wasn't us. We imported the two wooden slats with bindings from the north. That's how it is. However, we learnt pretty quickly in Mürren how to handle them properly. It is therefore not surprising that Mürren is considered the "cradle of snow sports". We have the son of a British priest to thank for this, among other things.

In Switzerland, there is now supposed to be a second season in addition to summer. What a claim. It's called "winter". The winter mountain sun at high altitude is rumoured to be quite pleasant. And this white mass, called snow by the locals, is quite fun. And of course the fresh air and the health benefits it brings... in short: winter sports are making their way into the Oberland. No Englishman thinks of the Riviera any more.

"Two seasons in Switzerland": now that's a bold title. This book was published in London in 1895. The English still favoured the sunny Riviera in winter. But this is about to change abruptly.

We just can't get out of our villages. But then the gift arrives from Norway. Skiing comes to our region. Everything changes. Is it magic or sorcery? It doesn't matter. The door to the vast and unspoilt landscape is opened at a stroke. A marvellous gift.

Of course, the development path from the stave with the cords to the reinforcement of the wood, the ingenious binding, the right footwear and the appropriate clothing is quite long. But we won't go into that in detail.

The director of the Hotel Des Alpes skis carefree circles in the snow. Ok, it's not really circles. He makes his first attempts at standing, walking and skiing. A nice way to pass the time. You can't miss the grins on the faces of the locals. It may look funny, but these skis are still practical for getting to the barns and stables in deep snow. The mountain guides and porters are clearly enjoying themselves.

The ski is a perfect tool - but nothing more. Nobody really thinks about winter sports and a winter season.

"Arnold Lunn set the first slalom course here in 1922 and organised the first World Championships for downhill and slalom in 1931," reads the dedication on the memorial in Mürren. In fact, he invented the modern rules of the downhill and slalom. But it all began in 1908 with the founding of the Alpine Ski Club. Need for speed. Initially, speed took centre stage for Lunn. It should be an alpine downhill run without many bends. The slopes are missing, of course - nobody wants them anyway. And of course, stick riding as a brake is also forbidden. No wonder he was developing "downhill skiing". This is later honoured as the Roberts of Kandahar Challenge Cup, which is then also moved to Mürren.

The Anglo-Saxons are not "amused" by ski jumping, cross-country skiing and slalom. Wait and see. "Take it easy" and "downhill only". These slogans suit our English guests much better. A leisurely descent with the easiest possible ascent is very popular. At Lunn's insistence, the Mürren cable car even runs continuously for the first time in the winter of 1910/11.

This sentence appears on an advert in England. The background? Ski clubs are sprouting out of the snow in the Bernese Oberland. The development of skiing is being vehemently driven forward. Above all by the Mürren, Wengen and Scheidegg ski clubs.
Parallel to the widespread development of skiing, competitions also emerge - and this is much more significant than in the two winter sports that still play a role: ice skating and curling.

The founding of the Swiss Ski School in 1932 brought order to teaching and learning activities.

A climbing accident restricts Lunn's sporting activities. Result: unfit for military service. He is ordered to Mürren. It could definitely have been worse for him. He looks after sick and injured British soldiers and officers there. He also entertains the internees with ski courses and competitions. Fortunately for Mürren, skiing experiences a huge boom. Walter Amstutz learns to ski thanks to the British and becomes a close friend of Sir Arnold Lunn.

Lunn and Amstutz fight together for downhill and now also slalom to be recognised. In 1920, Lunn succeeded in having both disciplines introduced to the British Ski Championships. As you can see in the picture, Lunn also cuts a fine figure as a gate judge.

No question about it. The ski races make a huge contribution to the development of skiing. But at the end of the day, they are also just a means to an end. The crowds are turning away from far too many races. Ergo, they are slowly being dismantled.

Mission accomplished. Sir Arnold Lunn is at his peak. The FIS accepts 1930 downhill and slalom as a new discipline.