[Popperfoto] The Swedish Crown Princess (third from right) and court take to the slopes

The prewar period was characterized by a rapid rise in the popularity of the sport, and a corresponding improvement in equipment. Ski competition developed as a means of settling debates about the pros and cons of alternative techniques.

1903
First competition in the Alps (Public Schools Alpine Sports Club Challenge) organized by Arnold Lunn, pillar of the British skiing establishment. Use of sticks for braking was not allowed. Ski Club of Great Britain founded.

1909
Stem Christiania turn developed by Hannes Schneider from Arlberg, Austria, allowing him to achieve previously impossible speeds.

1910
Use of the snowplough and two poles promoted by Colonel Bilgeri of the Imperial Austrian army.

1921
First British Championships organized by Arnold Lunn. Competition consisted of both downhill and style disciplines, although the latter was soon discarded due to judging difficulty.

1924
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix. Athletes competed in 'nordic' disciplines - cross-country and jumping. The Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) was founded to regulate the sport.

1927
First association of professional ski teachers established in Austria.

1930
First use of steel ski edges by Rudolph Lettner of Salzburg. His grip on the snow was immeasurably enhanced.

1932
First purpose-built ski lifts. The first drag lift built by Gerhard Mueller of Switzerland, using a rope and a motorbike engine. In the States, Jim Curran invented the chair lift.

1936
Slalom and downhill racing included in the Olympics at Garmisch Partenkirchen.

1937
Emile Allais won the FIS downhill and slalom using parallel technique. A great debate followed, which was to last for over 40 years: the Austrian school vs the French school, the stem turn vs the parallel turn, the knees vs the hips.

1938
British attention turned to French resorts, leaving Austria to Hitler. Colonel Peter Lindsay encouraged investment in the Trois Vallées.

1939
Hannes Schneider took refuge from Nazism in the US, taking with him the Austrian technique. The expression 'Bend ze knees' became a cliché of ski instruction.