We have become a nostalgic lot.
This morning I was Googling, recollecting the back-of-the-calf supports that were slid into or otherwise added to old ski boots. All I came up with were Jet Stix, the lame supports that losers strapped to their Rosemount boots. (Who used Rosemount boots anyway?) I immediately went to the Closet of Shame and underneath 11 bags of golf clubs (a separate post) I found coolness. Raichle Red Hots, with Jet Stix knock-offs. These, coupled with a set of 205 cm. Hart Javelin XXLs and Look Nevada bindings completed my contribution to the ultimate trivia question, What is Cool?
Granted there are other contenders, Rossignol Strato 102s, the fudgesicle colored boards that the French glamor boys roamed the World Cup in. Marker Rotomats with a Look Nevada toe-piece, hybrid bindings, brave, but Cool. Kneissel Red Stars were excellent skis, however the Blue Stars were my first choice since I had the red boots and a pair of white jeans. This ensemble gave me the Captain America theme that seemed important to me in 1970.
Since I was unquestionably Cool, I had the power to dictate who was also Cool Like Me. Here is a partial list: Spider Sabich, Jean Noel Auger, Me, Billy Kidd ( until he went corporate), and of course Killy (a guy who could have predated the one-name soccer bobos). Since then we have moved on. I am still Cool. Spider, shot down. Auger probably skiing in France. And Killy? Well, a picture being worth a thousand words definitely , not Cool.
(Editor’s note: Look Nevadas are sometimes touted as the best binding ever, which is the title of this discussion thread at skiinghistory.org. Red Hots were the first ski boots to be displayed as part of a permanent design collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.)
Photo of Raichle Red Hots by J. Runestone/Recreati.com. Photo of Jean-Claude Killy and Vladimir Putin via the Kremlin…yes, the Kremlin…through Wikimedia Commons.
