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Lifestyle

The Latest Ski Trend Takes the Sport Back to its Origins

The Latest Ski Trend Takes the Sport Back to its Origins
flourishfoundry
February 8, 2019
PRIVATE LINE Backcountry skiers are skipping modern lifts and returning to the origins of the sport.
PRIVATE LINE Backcountry skiers are skipping modern lifts and returning to the origins of the sport. Photo: Getty Images

13 Comments
By
Brigid Mander

Feb. 7, 2019 11:58 a.m. ET

A skier riding the original chair lift at Sun Valley ski resort in 1937.
A skier riding the original chair lift at Sun Valley ski resort in 1937. Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Premium Collection/Getty Images

DESPITE THE TECHNICAL wizardry and multimillion-dollar amenities of modern ski lifts, the biggest growth in the sport over 20 years is in the backcountry: Climb the slopes yourself and shush your way down, a method known among ski bums as “earn your turns.” Zealots laud the merits of hard-fought climbs, relishing a few memorable runs a day rather than fighting lift lines and rising resort costs. But now more skiers want it all—one high-performance setup to go up and downhill in any snowy terrain—and companies are producing versatile new gear like the collection shown here. It opens the gate to backcountry skiing without forcing you to ditch the ease of alpine resorts and the occasional, lazy-person lift.


Double the Fun

Don’t buy (and store!) two sets of ski equipment. Get one high-performance setup that works in the backcountry and on the alpine slopes

 
 
Faction CT 3.0 skis are reinforced to be stable at speed, and have torsional stiffness for edge control, making them reliable on hard snow or soft powder. $ 799, factionskis.com
1 of 5
•••••

A Brief History Of Going Uphill The Easy Way
Titlis Rotair, a revolving tram, offers skiers panoramic views during its 5-minute ride to the top of the Uri Alps in Switzerland.
Titlis Rotair, a revolving tram, offers skiers panoramic views during its 5-minute ride to the top of the Uri Alps in Switzerland.

Given the glitzy gondolas of today, it’s hard to recall that once a moving rope was considered a thrill ride

IN 1850, Norwegian farmer and woodworker Sondre Norheim curved and shortened his skis and strengthened the bindings, making it easier and more fun to turn, jump and, importantly, to stop—modifications that led to the birth of modern skiing. The adrenaline was addictive and the sport spread. The downside? Climbing the slopes for another run. Since 1908, engineers have outdone themselves developing faster, fancier, increasingly complex ways to move skiers uphill.

Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:

Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.

Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.

This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.

The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.

Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.

Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.

Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:

Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.

Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.

This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.

The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.

Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.

Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.

Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:

Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.

Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.

This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.

The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.

Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.

Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.

Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:

Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.

Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.

This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.

The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.

Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.

Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.

The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets.

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