• February 1994 •
Slovenia, a country that seems to have flowed over the steep Alpine slopes, has long been the home of skiing. The Slovene historian and geographer and member of the London Royal Society, Baron Janez Vajkard Valvasor, as early as the mid-seventeenth century reported on the queer custom people on the Bloška plateau had of descending snow-covered slopes on curved wooden boards.
In view of the fact that Slovenes have their own term for skis (smuči), experts believe that this winter-transport aid is of entirely independent origin. Bločani, the people of the Bloška region, made the skis themselves out of birch, beech or maple. And they developed many ways to curve the front ends, from steaming them in manure or over a warm stove to bending them in boiling water, over a fire or between the laths of hayracks. The skis were fastened to the shoes with stirrups or straps by sticking the shoe into the arch of the stirrup, which was made of leather or entwined vines or horsehair. When moving on the skis the skier helped himself with a stick he would lean on, or which he used to brake or change direction. Skis were used for walking, or transporting loads, and they were also used to follow a funeral march, with the coffin being pulled on them. Whether the Bloška skis truly are the oldest in Europe, as some claim, would of course be difficult to determine, but the Slovene love for skiing is quite unique. In the early 1930’s it was not the Scandinavians, who at that time were considered the masters of skiing, but the Slovenes who were the first to build a giant ski jump from which in 1936 Sepp Bradl first jumped beyond the one hundred metre mark. Planica, the name of the idyllic Alpine valley where this feat took place, became a synonym for ski-jumping and many are convinced that very soon, perhaps this year already, when the world championships will be held on the new giant jump, man will conquer the new dream limit and fly over 200 metres into the valley.
To Slovenes, more likely to be introverted than not, who achieve the best results in individual rather than team competition and who are by nature hard workers and nature lovers, especially where their mountains are concerned, ski sports seem to be in the blood. Skiing is the most popular form of recreation in Slovenia and since the Slovene ski resorts are too small for all who would like to take to their slopes, enthusiastic Slovene skiers are known far and wide at Austrian, Italian and French ski resorts. This mass-interest has also promoted the manufacture of Slovenia’s own skis (Elan), which today are used by world champion skiers and ski-jumpers. Elan is among the leading manufacturers in the world, particularly in the US and Japan. The Slovenes enthusiasm for skiing soon spurred their competitive ambitions and a desire for international fame. The competitors complained that they did not have the same conditions as the best in the world, but organisers launched a national fund raising lottery, each year selling more lottery tickets than there are Slovenes and gathering the funds which, along with the money contributed by their enthusiastic parents, enabled the development of world-class competitive skiing.
The first star to shine was Bojan Križaj who, experts say, was the greatest ski talent alongside the legendary Stenmark and who failed to reach the very top only through a lack of fighting spirit. With numerous wins and brilliant results, he nevertheless ended his career without an Olympic medal. The generation following him (Rok Petrovič, Franci Petek, Mateja Svet, Tomaž Čižman, Jure Franko, Boris Strel) was more victorious, capturing the highest World Cup and Olympic medals, although competing under the flag of Yugoslavia and burning out all quickly. Upon attainment of independence, Slovenia had to start from scratch in organising ski sports and, considering that Slovenia has less than half a per cent of the European population, it seemed almost impossible that they would return to the top in light of the general tightening of belts.
Yet skiing is a sport which requires sacrifice as well as talent, stubbornness and an infinite desire for success. And today these features are abundant among Slovenes, young and old. The new ski generation competing under the flag of Slovenia has surprised all with a characteristic that so far has not been a strong point – a fighting drive and a will to win reminiscent of US athletes at the most important championships.
“Sometimes I ski fast, sometimes I ski slow,” sings Slovenia’s best male skier, Jure Košir, in a popular rap. Košir is currently locked in battle with the legendary Alberto Tomba for slalom supremacy.
“We girls ski fast, the guys ski slow,” respond the girls, eighteen and nineteen year-olds who have been achieving World Cup victories from high start numbers. A crowd of 35.000, the largest in Europe by far, came to follow the skiing holiday on the slopes of Maribor Pohorje where first place in the World Cup slalom of course had to go to a Slovene – Urška Hrovat of Ljubljana. At this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Lillehamer, Norway, which are just around the corner, the Slovene guys and girls will be competing under the flag of independent Slovenia for the second time. Their share in the battle for the most precious medals will certainly be several times greater than one would expect if the size of their home country were taken as the measure.
Jure Apih
