Every Skier Should Have One: A Stein Eriksen ski suit
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Somewhere between a charity shop and one of Elton John's regular wardrobe-clearance sales lies www.steineriksen.com. The website has a page which offers cast-off Stein Eriksen ski-suits for sale.
UK skiers might think that Stein Eriksen (pictured below) is a Scandinavian designer-label. Norwegians and North Americans would not make that mistake. Having created a name for himself at home by winning the giant slalom gold medal in Oslo's 1952 Winter Olympics (and two years later becoming the first skier to win three gold medals at a single World Championship), Eriksen moved to the US at the age of 27, where he served as ski-school director at resorts from Sugarbush in Vermont to Heavenly in California.
But what makes his used ski-suits garments to be prized is his skiing tricks, his looks, and his fame. Placing him fourth on its list of "The 100 most influential skiers of all time", US Ski magazine said that "women swooned and men tried to imitate his silky style. His flips helped spur the 'freestyle' movement while his charm helped create America's first skiing sex symbol."
Now in his seventies, Eriksen remains familiar to US skiers, particularly in Deer Valley, Utah, where he is director of skiing. He was on the slopes one day, he told a friend of mine, when he took a fall and did a double somersault. "A woman who was skiing by yelled out: 'Stein! Could you do that again? My husband wasn't watching'."
Most skiers would like to know what it feels like to be in his shoes. Sadly, that's not possible. But for $250 (£165) you can get inside his ski-suit, provided you are a size 38. Eriksen wears only the best gear: when I last looked at the site he was offering a Bogner two-piece and two ski-suits, also by Bogner.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments