In Finland, in the early 1970s, racing was still done on wooden skis. However, development overtook the woodwork and Finland lost the number one position in ski manufacturing at the same time. A tree is no longer suitable for racing for junior skiers.
Mäiseli has agreed to a test to see if she can still ski competitively on wooden skis. First impressions do not support this view.
– It feels quite different here and there is clearly more weight than in new skis, wonders Mäiseli.
Mäiseli is by no means going to the track for the first time. He has skied himself into the top ten in Finland in the 16-year-old age group
Lotta, on the other hand, has been skiing for more than 60 years, and she is familiar with wooden skis.
– These were used for skiing well into the 70s, and rat trap bandages were also in use then.
When it definitely doesn’t slip
Mäiseli skis a few laps at the stadium preparing for Salppur’s 100th anniversary race. The comments do not flatter the number one skis of the past.
– It was quite difficult, you shouldn’t ski much on these, not to mention that the lubrication doesn’t even fit in this weather, Mäiseli reflects.
From this it can already be concluded that there would not be much to take home from the competition if you had to go to the starting line with the Järvis of the previous generation.
– You would lose a lot with these, especially when there is no slippage. I wouldn’t trade my own skis for these, is the harsh verdict.
Tapio Lotta agrees, and the old sivakas wouldn’t even be suitable for fitness tracks.
– The bindings are so wide that these skis wouldn’t even fit in the current track grooves and it would be quite impossible to go freestyle, laughs Lotta.
From solid wood to super fibers
A visit to the Ski Museum in Lahti visually tells about the development of skis, from solid wooden antique skis to modern top skis. The history of Finnish skiing and skiing has been documented since the Stone Age. The rock paintings of that time also contain pictures of skiing.
Solid wood skis were used for skiing until the 1950s, when skis began to be built by gluing different trees together. Lahti was the number one city in the ski equipment industry for a long time, as Mononen from Lahti developed the ski footwear that bears his name and Järvinen was the largest ski manufacturer in Finland and the world.
– This changed in the 1970s, when skis got plastic shells and little by little the whole structure of the ski changed decisively. The Finns woke up to the change slowly, which led to the loss of the leading position, continues Häkkinen.
The current structure is the result of a long development. The ski has stiffeners, for example carbon fiber reinforcements, and the most expensive skis also use composite honeycomb inside, which helps to lighten the ski.
Grandfather’s Lakes may be beautiful to look at, but they are not worth going to today’s races.