THE MEETING PLACE FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE D.H.O. CLUB, THE SKI CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE WENGEN SKI CLUB HOTEL EI6ER RESTAURANT NEAR THE RAILWAY STATION EXCELLENT LAGER BEER LOCAL SPECIAL DISHES THE SKI SHOP Closest to the pulse Send for our catalogue The Ski Shop, 158Notting Hill Gate, London W11, 01-229 8228 Whenever yoy're Watford way, a warm welcome awaits you O e e Pi . , .... rroRD An independent family department store with over 2 acres of shopping space, a great reputation for quality and a very nice line in good old fashioned courtesy. CLEMENTS, THE PARADE, WATFORD Phone Watford 44222 Page Two ''•.!.' I ! .;|:''''iv.-;j'.!''::;^.: :.i-( i!,J. \ il, ; '"l' ',... n> |. ,11,. „• . Bl. Ir i v • '• /, l'i ii.i,,.,,,! I1..-M. i .'.r ii i'.,'.,i to'-i. iii.)ii!iiii 111 i;;. ..."ii.-j •3n| .'!.. ,il (•'ii:,.,',. .II "ii it." '••.;•- II 'J,i:l! ...'i. -ii''.IIJ.W..II.I'.'ii iii'""• Ji.!•• !l fi:n '" ,<!. ,•'!,• IV,I>.'|I!.III i!. i' iV.li ;.i ,ini|i",i| ,V. .«• .i .*!'.!:i,. , 1 1,1 .11," I'-l • I' • ' •!.. ill; " ' II' All- ..li Si'.ii.'.^MUll/ I lP',llll'.li-:l1 1 • .ii •• i. "in' i-i /,' r / \ 'C.i '.i! •'- ir.Hi.J;-. |.II ',\[,'{l >, ,'' j' II,',\'".,'.,.,', ];. ,li .. 1 .."'I'/ ''.IIJ'I'JIII...!" Ml ,i^i .-,•' l'\{,4.ltl HI,' 'I & !.' II 'M|, II '' j !i I ill.,'-' J."l il'.' j|.,i:i.. ..,.'.',i, n;, Page Three /A £ ^ XBB. Page Four Weng annlichei Aerial Ropeway it HM<^'^ the starting point of one of the most beautiful ski runs in the Alps and doubtless the most perfect one in the Bernese Oberland is reached from Wengen in 7 minutes. Beside the easy wide open slopes with plenty of powder snow, well cared runs for courses are always kept open. Drop of altitude 4,500ft. over a distance of about 7 miles. Ski-lift Laeger-Mannlichen, good snow conditions even in April. SPECIAL AEROPLANE SERVICE FOR SKI-ING IN THE HIGH MOUNTAINS Many starting points for the longest and most beautiful ski-runs in the high mountains of the Jungfrau area, which before could only be approached by long and toilsome ascents on ski reached now with aeroplanes taking off from Mannlichen with trained glacier pilots. Some of these beautiful glacier runs are: Petersgrat-Stechelberg (Lauterbrunnen Valley), Ebnefluh- Hollandia Hut- Blatten, Fiescherhorn- Finsteraarhorn Hut- Fiesch, Rosenegg- Rosenlaui- Meiringen. Page Five XXVJLx X1/XA,J.XJLX-/ IUV/IN.LyviiN XJLV_/ X X-/X-/O Tip A. i [AC Imperial London's modem central hotel at budget rates IMPERIAL PRESIDENT BEDFORD TAVISTOCK COUNTY NOW OPENED The new ROYAL-NATIONAL Telephone: 01=278 7871=2-3 Telex: 263951 RUSIMP LDN RESERVATIONS FOR 3750 BEDS SINGLES £4.90 to £10.90 TWINS £9.50 to £15.50 INCLUDING BREAKFAST Pius V.A.T. Page Six —.— '• ' I l • i • i -. i ' '. ' •'. ' i . ! . '• ' i •'•;•! i\ • • i v J ; - ••! ;\ : i • •.. 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' i '•'V •'- :' '•/•'••:f - •'.•" " •!•' 'i-'V [ \ '•' '•' •' • . i ; •• • : ! i . ! 1 . • • ! . i ' ''..•.•" 1" I ! 1 HE FAMOUS SPORTSHOP THE EXPERT FOR THE BEST SELECTIONS IN — CLOTHES EQUIPMENT BOOTS — HAVE A TEST DRIVE AT -AXES OF HITCHIN 0462-50915 •AXES OF LETCHWORTH 04626-3722 AXES OF BALDOCK 046289-2931 AXES OF BISHOPS SXORXFORD 0279-52214 AXES OF HARLOW 0279-21166 AXES OF EPPING 78-72281 AXES OF WOODFORD 01-504-4466 AXES OF WALXHAMSXOW 01-539-4461 ROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT WITH OUR W '• -V-; i • m Gates Group JEALERS »Y: DEALERSHIPS • WAlTHAMSTOW • W000F0R0 • EPPINC • HARLOW • B'S ST0RIF0RD • LE m.m,y.\- • i.n«i:n • * Eingetragene Schutzmarke .l.il'i ! = i."l |:'i !.| '[ ' ! : I I : 11^•: ] I: :.' h • = «•;- ' "•'•. |.i i i mini ACCUTRON d> BULOVA ACCUQUARTZ Page Nine rosMiirs liisiwiBiJSiii Use FOSTER'S lubes A fittings and avoid those tricky leaks I a» If H>- Tha raster STEWI Hweo Beo -Chcapf* Co nan than am Eteetiie Blanket 3Wteo mate Coils i FOSTER BROTHERS LIMITED Lea Brook Tube Works WEDNESBURY Drawings by K.D.F. Page Ten CONTENTS page Editorial . .. .. .. 12 Racing & Training, edited by Rosamond Hepworth with contributions from John Latimer, Oliver Hart, Don Cooper, Allan Lobozzo, and Richard & William Burnett . 18 Innsbruck Diary, John Hennessy . .. .. ., .. .. 26 Pre-WarD.H.O.SkiMap 28 Obituaries . .. .. .. .. 30 Notes on Touring, Vaughan Gaskell . , . , . 31 The 1976 Junior Championships, Shiela Hensman .. .. • . .. 32 What's New in Equipment? Norman Freund .. .. .. .. ., .. .. .. 32 The Wengen Season, Piers Benson Browning .. .. .. .. .. ., .. .. 33 The 1976 Winter Olympics, Alan Stewart . .. .. .. .. 34 Earn Your Skiing, Simon Rigby .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 35 1976-7 Race Fixtures and Training Schemes .. .. .. .. .. .. 37 Racing Results, Season 1975-6 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 Travel Topics, Norman Freund . .. .. .. .. 39 Club Notes 40 1976-7 Representatives . .. .. .. .. .. 41 Rules of the Club 42 Officers & Committee .. .. .. .. .. 44 Members' List .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 45 Index to Advertisers . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56 CONTRIBUTIONS Your letters, articles, photographs and drawings are needed to keep the Editor employed and the D.H.O. Journal in business. If you have something to contribute or complain about, please send it NOT LATER THAN June 15th, 1977, to Hon. Editor, D.H. O. Journal, Beech House, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 9HA. ARTICLES AND LETTERS: Please type or write on one side of the paper only. Leave a space between lines and a wide margin on the left-hand side. Remember to check all names and places, and attach accents and "umlauts" where needed. PHOTOGRAPHS: Please write in light pencil (not ink) the title of the photograph as it should appear in the Journal, and show the name of the photographer. Do not fasten the photograph to an article by any form of paper fastener, as this invariably leaves a mark. When sending photos by post, reinforce the envelope with a piece of cardboard. ADVERTISEMENTS: For rates and other details of trade advertisements, please contact the Hon. Advertising Manager, whose address appears on page 44. Page Eleven JblTOWlAj^ The Proudest Palaces Fall and Perish So wrote Herodotus 2,400 years ago. That in Wengen closed its doors this Spring, on the 25th of March. The Swiss, having launched the Habsburg family upon Europe giving no less than fifty-eight kings to five of its kingdoms, contented themselves with the most stable and efficient of democracies. Nonetheless in the early years of skiing they had a penchant for Palaces and no self-respecting ski resort could be without. Wengen's was never so crushingly superior as those in many rival resorts, to which entry could be barred by a single blackball from a committee run on the lines of an exclusive London club; but it was the hotel. Fritz and Maria Borter were the epitome of what the world expected of Swiss hoteliers, most of the early D.H.O. members stayed there and indeed the Club was founded in its Dining Room. The Club Mediterranee will surely make a success of their venture and we wish them well. In these changed times the development is no doubt a logical one but the change still comes as a shock, bringing sharp realisation of just how much the world is changing and a flood of nostalgic memories. Wengen without the Sorters in their Palace, even for those who never stayed there themselves, can never feel quite the same. Wengen Pre- War Skiing On the centre pages we reproduce a pre-war ski map issued by the D.H.O. in folded, pocket format and apparently free since it carries no price tag. Advertisements are however sprinkled among the Time Tables and other information printed on its reverse and these presumably covered the cost. From the Time Tables we learn that five trains a day ran from Wengen to Scheidegg, the first leaving at 8.15, the last at 15.15 and each taking 50 minutes. There was no stop at Sidings, (Allmend), the first being Jumping Hill. Halfway between this and Water Station however the train stopped at "Run Start", presumably for toboggans as the map shows no ski run starting there. From Grund only two trains ran each day, at 9.04 and 14.24, and these climbed no higher than Alpiglen. On the map the line on up to Scheidegg is shown dotted, evidently open in Summer only. The Scheidegg- Eigergletscher line is similarly shown dotted and indeed a Jungfraubahn advertisement speaks of the "easy walk to Eigergletscher if rails are snow-bound". There were of course no ski-lifts or cable cars in those days. Page Twelve The map carries many names now unfamiliar. Who today could lead you down Aylmer's Gully or on Kitty Dobbs' Run? Miss Dobbs herself still flourishes however, as Mrs. Malcolm Muggeridge one of our four surviving founder members. The other three are the Hon. President, Col. C. J. Odling and Mrs. H. J. Boyd who, it will be seen, as Miss Foster had her very own hut at Fallboden. We have questioned our aunt closely on just what went on in this hut but she becomes coyly evasive. Two things are curious about this hut, apart from the mystery of Miss Foster's claim to it: the run back to Scheidegg appears to go straight through the Bellevue Hotel and no run from it goes down the Punch Bowl. It is hard to believe that no-one skied down it, nor did the White Hare or High Traverse. Other missing names include D.H.O. Gap and Joanne's Hole. Perhaps an older member may be able to estimate the year of publication as unfortunately the map is undated. Olympics The British performance at Innsbruck, as at Montreal more recently, was generally disappointing. Even John Curry's skating gold seemed to lose a little of its glitter with the knowledge that he trains in America.