By Mathias Zdarsky

Patron of the arts rescues the world’s very first slalom skis

Alpine history pioneer Mathias Zdarsky lives on in the memory of today's skiers Josef Renz bows in deep reverence to his Traisental "compatriot" Zdarsky, whose skis he saved Alpine history deep in the Traisental!(Bild: Imre Antal)

Alpine history deep in the Traisen Valley! Collector Josef Renz rescued the skis of pioneer Mathias Zdarsky. The unsightly "boards" have a colorful history.

"I dive deep into the eternal white of home on winding alpine slopes," smiles Josef Renz, hunter of lost treasures from Kreisbach near Wilhelmsburg in the district of St. Pölten. For outsiders, they may just be two simple wooden slats, but for alpine historians, these simple boards, which symbolize the vastness of the icy slopes, are an infinitely valuable treasure. Because Mathias Zdarsky is and was once at the cradle of alpine sports.

Alpine history pioneer Mathias Zdarsky lives on in the memory of today's skiers(Bild: Imre Antal)

The pioneer on two poles organized the very first slalom race in the world on the legendary Muckenkogel near Lilienfeld on 19 March 1905 - as an experienced instructor for the Austro-Hungarian mountain troops during the First World War.

Father of alpine skiing history
To put this historic event into context, the Englishman and founder of the Kandahar race in St. Anton am Arlberg, Sir Arnold Lunn, should be recalled to the memory of the eternal white. For the admirer of skiing pioneer Mathias Zdarsky - born in Kožichovice in 1856 and died in St. Pölten in 1940) - and his single-pole technique ennobled the man from Lilienfeld as the "father of Alpine skiing history, who will never be dethroned as such".

Numerous finds have now been preserved.(Bild: Imre Antal)

"I will treasure this legacy alongside other priceless mementos of Zdarsky in my heart," assures Renz, who has already saved so much local history. The legacy is also treasured in the local history museum in the Babenberg town. The Zdarsky estate "Habernreith" high above the district of Marktl also bears witness to this.