Goodbye Didier Cuche

Didier Cuche retired from World Cup Ski Racing today, by completing his final race using 80 year old skis, he was suitably dressed as well.

Watching him struggle and fall on the skis, made me wonder if he should have called Dave Mac first for some advice

Wonderful !!
What a career.

And a Helecopter

Didier Cuche = Legend

Far Queue wrote:
Didier Cuche retired from World Cup Ski Racing today, by completing his final race using 80 year old skis, he was suitably dressed as well.

Watching him struggle and fall on the skis, made me wonder if he should have called Dave Mac first for some advice

Haha, indeed, I would suggest drinking the schnapps AFTER the race!

I was looking at a pair of ancients a couple of days ago, and thinking I wouldn't mind trying them, just to see how they would behave on pisted snow! And your posted video, (absolutely excellent), had me musing about the age of some of my skis.

My 210 Firebirds would be 39 years old. I used them for 26 years, and the guy I left them with in Colorado said they were going into their museum!

My 215 White Stars were refurbished when I got them 43 years back, so that puts them about 46 years old. I sold them to a guy about 5ft 3in!

The earliest skis that I owned, 210 Elan Jets, were about fifth hand. I gave Ellis Brigham £3 for them. They were a painted wooden base, with screw segmented edges, cable bindings, (similar bindings to the ones shown in the vid) The segmented screw edges dates them to pre 1950, since continuous edges were first designed in 1948, and were put into serious production by Howard Head in 1949. They were quickly adopted by other ski manufacturers. Hence, that would mean that I skied on 63 year old skis.

The year before I bought these, my climbing friend and I hired skis, cable bindings and all, and went up Cairngorm on the side by side chairlift for our first try at skiing. Unbeknown to me, cable bindings were really dangerous ~ the cable slid through crimps screwed to the side of the skis. What happened was that through skis coming into contact with each other, the crimps would trap the cable, and the bindings would not release.

So one hour after I had my first go at skiing, I was in an ambulance on the way to Raigmore Hospital, from where I emerged several hours later, with a full leg plaster cast!

Fantastic! Think I'll watch that again... what a great way to bow out.

Awesome!!

The man is a legend.

Enjoy your skiing now Didier.

Brilliant - what a character!