ConNext-2021

32 A pair of skis from the early 20 th century Object biography and reconstruction KEYWORDS: skis, skiing evolution, military use, reconstruction, 20 th century. The subject of this talk is a pair of skis, which belong to the collections of the open-air museum in Lindlar and originate from the early 20 th century. One of the aims of conservation-restoration is to preserve the evidence of use, which illustrate skiing practice around 1900. Further, the evidence may point to military usage in World War II. The Lindlar skis in former times have been painted white. Skis have been a mean of transport for several thousands of years. Originally developed in Norway to walk over soft snow, they found their way from Norway´s military in the 17 th century to northern Europe. Towards the end of the 19 th century, skiing became a popular sport and continued to be used intensively in a military context. In both world wars, skiing units were active and used standardised skis produced especially for military purposes. Because of shortage also skis from civil households had to be utilised. The new railways which were built during the First World War increased ski tourism after the war which led skiing to be declared as an Olympic discipline in 1936. This paper focuses on the history of ski and aims to prove the link between the skis and their use during the Second World War, as the white coating is a typical symptom of military skis. According to the ongoing research, the skis have an interesting history, as they are witnesses to a ‘ski renaissance’ that took place in the early 20 th century and, in addition, that they have been used in a military context. Actually, one ski is reconstructed and will be shown and handed to visitors of the exhibition in Lindlar for a better understanding of skis fully built of wood. It still has to be decided whether the reconstructed skis will be painted white to show the appearance during military use or only sealed with a clear varnish, as it was usual for skis in civilian use. moritz.erdmann[at] smail.th ‐ koeln.de