Retro skis from Bogner: Almost like in the very old days

An impression of timeless elegance and a certain lightness are the first impressions this ski leaves on the outside.

With its subtle wood design, only broken up by a red longitudinal line, the unique piece stands out calmly from all the colorful carvers that have left their first tracks in the autumn snow on the Hintertux Glacier.

Achim Dreis

Sports editor.

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This narrow retro ski also feels light, as it weighs significantly less than conventional alpine skis, which are otherwise carried to the gondola.

5.3 kilograms with binding, without it it would be 3.4.

But on the slopes, the lightweight does not forgive sloppiness.

The piece of craftsmanship wants to be driven precisely.

If the sporty driver succeeds in doing this, he will be rewarded with a rapid ride on the edge.

Or, as the thoughtful Gustav Thoeni, South Tyrolean ski hero of the seventies, put it after a test drive: "When I drive fast, things go really well." The 1972 Olympic champion was invited by a somewhat younger champion from earlier days, Frank Wörndl, to um To honor the legacy of a third party from the pioneering days of alpine skiing, Willy Bogner.

Wörndl, slalom world champion from 1987, had the idea to empathize with the emotional world of skiers from the thirties.

At a time when the boundaries between alpine and Nordic skiing were not as rigid as they are today.

This can be exemplified by Willy Bogner senior, World Cup medalist in the cross-country relay in 1934 and Nordic combined in 1935, but also a pioneer of alpine skiing and founder of a sports fashion brand.

He started the “Willy Bogner ski operation” in 1932 and initially brought Norwegian skis and clothing onto the market in Germany.

An original ski from that time has hung as an exhibit in the cafeteria of today's Bogner headquarters for years.

“I've always liked that,” says Wörndl, who works for the brand as “Head of Hardware”.

He had always been tempted to ski this ski once, to feel the history and to create something new out of it. Well, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the house, which is to be celebrated in early 2022, he succeeded in the double blow of test and action. In cooperation with the Appenzell ski manufacturer Timbaer, Wörndl had a replica of the historic wooden ski made, which is reminiscent of the old days in terms of appearance and feel, but which should technically leap into the present, if not into the future of alpine skiing.

Andreas Dobler and Dano Waldburger are the implementers of the idea. The two founders of Timbaer-Skimanufaktur, both passionate skiers, should, as trained carpenters, bring with them the tools to produce high-quality woodwork with precise craftsmanship. By founding their own company, they fulfilled “a boy's dream”. Their expertise, of course, comes with a proud price, one of the Timbaer race carvers with a wood look costs around 1900 Swiss francs.

The Bogner ski is both made to order and made to measure. The core consists of bamboo fibers and paper. In combination with an aluminum alloy and modern steel edges, the prototype was first created, on which Wörndl animated a few test turns in a small circle. The ski was glued at room temperature, with a pressing time of a whole night, to guarantee quality and precision. The ski was decorated with a laser engraving, so that a combination of traditional craftsmanship and high-tech was created.

90 individual pieces are to be produced by the anniversary in January, with numbers from 1 to 90 to underline the exclusivity. They are delivered exclusively with a ski bag made of felt and poles made of carbon. The ski is brought onto the market by Anavon, a Swiss ski distributor based in Diesentis. The purchase price is currently still being negotiated.

On the piste, the supposed wooden slats turn out to be an exact construction that invites you to stretch out, but do not allow any mistakes, as the edges grip directly and thus trim the driver in the right direction.

Despite its narrow cut, the ski has a racecarver sidecut.

The width in the shovel is 108 millimeters, in the middle it is 70, at the rear 97. With a ski length of 168 centimeters, the radius is 16 meters.

“It's wonderful to reinterpret these skis,” says the former slalom world champion about the feeling of skiing on open slopes.

He demands speed and the sporty driver to reveal his skills.

“Somebody can do something there,” says Wörndl.

And means the ski.