Winter Sports
In a period when skiing and skating, whether for pleasure or for competition, involve speed, risk, performance and strong sensations, here is an original proposition: to glance back at the simpler joys of winter and winter sports of last century. Sub-zero temperatures and the resulting ice or snow transform our landscapes and our day-to-day lives.
Up until the 19th century, before being used for entertainment purposes, skates and skis were basically a means to get around in the Nordic countries, Siberian regions or the Asian mountains.
Snow, which evokes wonder in some but causes concern and hard work for others, is met with unanimous enthusiasm by children. Their faces crimson, they build snowmen in the parks and sledge down hillside roads, showing their delight in these moments by erupting into peals of uncontrollable giggles. The footsteps of the confident hiker rustle in the powdery snow whilst the skier rushes off down the slope, the wind whistling in his ears. On the lakes or skating rinks where blades crunch and bite into the ice, it is the time to chat whilst having fun.
Wood and bone have been replaced by polymer composite materials or metal. What counts today is the pursuit of the extreme: whether in terms of speed, height or acrobatics.
