A young Emile Allais
My name is Emile Allais and I am going to tell you my story. I was born
in Megève in Haute-Savoie in France on the 25th of February 1912. My father
died on the Western Front, in the First World War. When I was little, I was
already gifted in several sports like cycling, ice hockey and athletics, including pole
vaulting. I quickly learnt to ski and I improved my skiing skills with the help
of Otto Lantschner, one of the Austrian instructors then in charge of skiing in
Megève.
Then I did my National Service in
the mountain regiment called the Chasseurs
Alpins and I was chosen as a member of the French alpine skiing team in
1932. In 1936, I won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics in Germany. I was
the first French man to win this award.
In the 1937 World Championships,
I won gold medals in the downhill, slalom and combined, becoming the first man
to win both downhill and slalom races in a major championship. I was so proud
of myself! A German skier, quoted by The Times, called me “the greatest all-round skier the world has
ever known”. I was very touched by this praise.
I invented my own style of skiing:
I designed and wore aerodynamic ski pants, known as the “fuseau”. This style
was different to the Austrian one which dominated the skiing world at that
time.
Also in 1937, I had my book “Ski français”
published. It explains my skiing technique, with parallel skis. The
French Skiing Federation very quickly adopted this style of skiing as its official style.
Afterwards, I broke my ankle and my career as a
competitive skier ended.
In 1945, I was invited to go to Chile in order
to train the Chilean Olympic team and to help open a resort there. Then I
received an invitation to go to Canada to do the same job with the Canadian
team.
Peter Cushing, the Californian Squaw Valley
promoter, persuaded me to join him in designing and promoting the resort. I was
the first ski school instructor there. In the USA, I was also a teacher in Sun
Valley, in Idaho, where Brigitte Bardot and Cary Grant were among my pupils! And
I coached the US Olympic team. I invented the first caterpillar snow-grooming
machine and I popularised the first quilted skiing anorak.
I stayed eight years in America, spending summers
in Chile. I think that it’s in the USA that I really worked best as a resort
designer. I was able to share my knowledge of the world of winter sports with
the American public. My aim was that every skier, whatever his level, could be
sure of the safety of the slopes.
I finally returned to France in 1954. There, I
was asked to be the director of the new resort in Courchevel in order to turn
it into a top international resort. I obviously accepted the invitation. I
decided to introduce a new job that I called the “pisteur secourist” to make
the slopes safer, just like the American ones. I advised other resorts in
France and abroad and my ideas were copied very quickly. In 1960, I designed my
own brand of metal skis called the “Allais 60” with Rossignol. I finished my
career by concentrating on my ski clothing shop.
All my life I have thought about the development
of skiing, especially about improving the quality of the skis. I wanted, for
example, to install seats so that people could sit somewhere if they felt like
watching the skiing. My purpose has always been to ensure the well-being of skiers
and the sport’s public.
Gilles Chappaz, a
famous sports writer, and Karen Allais
Pallandre, one of my daughters, have written
a book about my life: “Allais, la légende d’Emile” in which I am nicknamed “The
father of French skiing”.
I am proud of what I have done during my life.
Everyone, whatever his field, who has ability, ambition and
willpower, can make of his life what he wants it to be. I have one piece of
advice: if you have an opportunity, seize it!
My daring, reckless-looking,
style of skiing was appreciated. I once did a somersault in an event and landed
on my skis without even losing time... So, don’t
hesitate to take risks!
Emile Allais died on the 17th October
2012, aged 100.
Emile Allais as I remember him
Article by Jeanne PALANDRE
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