BuSiness-Boon. VOL. XVI, NO. 1 JANUARY 1, 1967 FRENCH ECONOMIC PROSPECTS-1967 .................. page 6 ranee ESCOFFIER MUSEUM ............... .page 7 COMPETITIVE GAS TURBINES ........................ page 8 FACTS ON ctuel1e FRENCH FACTORIES ................page 8 A semi-monthly Report on Modern France, sponsored by the Comite France Actuelle, a private association of French businessmen. Photoprass. Grenoble Behind The Victory At Portillo FRENCH SKI SUITS AND EQUIPMENT \ \ Snme nf the Frenrh team. well-trained and perfectly equipped to turn in a "grand slam performance" at Portillo. The incredible 16-medal triumph of the extraordinary effort and accomplish­ French press has explained the Portillo young French skiers in the world cham­ ment of French artisans and enterprises triumph with a variety of theories. Some pionships at Portillo (Chile) was neither in creating new-type, better-performance said it was team spirit, and one suffra­ miracle nor luck. Behind the fast, sure, skis, suits, shoes, and other accessories gette journalist suggested that victory was downhill runs of lean-Claude Killy, Annie and equipment. entirely inspired by the women gold med­ Famose, the Goitschell sisters and the alists, Annie Famose and Marielle Goit­ SORCERY? WOMEN? others on the team were: schell. One even attributed it to their SECRET WEAPON? • the well-developed French style of 'sorcerer' trainer, Honore Bonnet. .. An objective outside report, in the skiing and the system of training; while Paris Match described the revolu­ world-respected London Sunday Observer. tionary skin-tight zip suits worn by the • the mass of French young people sums up these sources of the unprece­ now taking to their many and marvelous team as the 'secret weapon' of French dented French achievement: skiing." snow-covered slopes for winter week­ "In the context of modern France the ends and vacations; and- grand slam performance of the French THE ANSWER IS MOUNTAINS, • perhaps the real difference between skiers in the World Championships at TALENT, PLANNING just doing very well and being the best- Portillo was hardly surprising ... The "It was, of course, both all and none of Published and distributed by France Actuelle, a District of Columbia non-profit corporation. located at 221 Southern Building, Washington. D.C. 20005. on behalf of the Comiti France Actuelle. Paris, France. Copies of this bulletin have been filed with the Department of Justice where the registration state­ ments of France Actuelle are available for public inspection unde'l1N"~) 1 et seCJ:..!?.egistration does not imply approval of this material by the United States Government. ,y E:.rt'~1 , r OF ~LAHOMA LIBRARY 2 FRANCE ACTUELLE TESTED IN A WIND TUNNEL "The 16 medals collected by the French team were a marvel of coordination in the national interest. Members took with them special Dynamic 'VRi7' French­ made skis. it is to be noted that the skis were made after careful calculations and data collected about the specially cold and fresh snow conditions of the Andes. The French used specially narrow boots to avoid drag around the bosses (humps), and their skin-tight French blue silk com­ binations were developed in a wind tunnel so as to clip precious fractions of seconds off their times." "Every member of the party respected the sparse diet of grills, vegetables, fruit and gruyere (cheese) which Bonnet in­ sisted was essential. "The physical training ranged from yoga and cycling to tennis and basket­ Among France's marvelous ski slopes-Chamrousse, where a number of the 1968 Winter Olympic ball ... Also, Bonnet endowed his team ski events will take place. with an insatiable will to win and a team these. It was quite simply a national de­ spirit which was the springboard to in­ cision to zero in on a sport for which dividual victory." the French have a natural talent, and three ranges of mountains [Annie Famose IN-THE-MODE AMBASSADORS, learned her skiing in the Pyrenees 1, all SALESMEN of which are easily accessible to major The Observer report concludes that, population centers. "quite apart from the ambassadorial value "The French approach to the cham­ of world champions, the French skiers pionships was as thoroughly professional, are automatic salesmen of French skis, determined and serious as the Americans la methode fran raise and French resorts." and Russians are about Olympic Gold Thus, Paris' daily Le Figaro comments: Medals ... Anyone who has seen the "The French style of skiing, which gave French operate against tight deadlines, the ultimate, magistral proof of its superi- with a plan in hand and a clear objective ority at Portillo, is incontestably 'in the in view, will easily recognize how they mode.' Not only are large numbers of achieved the Portillo victories." foreigners coming to ~­ the fine points of our 'light Christiania,' REFINEMENT OF AN but they also want to import our instruc- "EVERYMAN'S SPORT" tors." "The man behind it all is Honore Bon­ Toward the end of November, for in­ net, the 47-year-old director of the French stance, 30 top-notch French ski teachers, national ski team. A small but dynamic selected by the French Skiing Instructors Frenchman in the Charles Aznavour Association, went off to give lessons at mould, Bonnet left no stone unturned to resorts in the United States. fashion world champions out of his 15 Yet behind the finely developed French chosen youngsters. French competitor with all-French equipment style and the individual skills and elan in "In 1946 Bonnet went to Austria to in world championships at Portillo. winning with it, is the superb French learn. For eight years he took copious equipment. notes and learned what he could from the rich man's pastime to everyman's sport. masters before returning to a France "But Bonnet did more than learn. He DYNAMIC CHAMPS where ski stations were sprouting like refined, perfected and expanded his basic Start with skis: The special "Dynamic mushrooms and a whole new generation knowledge and behind all his ground­ VR 17" skis, created by Ateliers Michal of young athletic skiers had replaced work he was backed by France's greatest at Sillans (Isere), were used at Portillo the prewar generation of dilettantes. Alpinist, Maurice Herzog, formerly Min­ by three French gold-medal winners and French skiing was transformed from a ister of Youth and Sports." by six of the first ten finishers in the FRANCE ACTUELLE 3 slalom, and in the downhill run gold medal laboratories we have already found im­ BIG AIMS IN AMERICA victory set a world speed record of 101.52 portant perfections that are now going Of its total production, Rossignol now km. into our production." exports 25 percent, the total sold abroad These skis, of course, didn't just hap­ Are these skis only for experts and zooming up 55 percent this past year and pen. Here's the research and progress champions? "Not at all. And in any case, expected to rise another 50 percent this report by Paul Michal, founder of the we are now offering a new ski called 'All year. To the United States last year the small enterprise: "It was in 1932 that snow,' for all qualities of snow and all firm sold 3,500 pairs, and another 2,000 with some friends we made seven or eight kinds of skiers, from beginners to ex­ to Canada. This year, the company is pairs of skis. Soon we were producing perts." confident it will double its sales in the more. They were made in a single piece U.S. and up them 50 percent in Canada. of ash or hickory wood. We named them Primarily because of a more active pro­ 'Dynamic' because they were checked by motion campaign: One of the company's a dynamo-meter." executives has been present at every PERPETUAL PERFECTION important international contest, including "We closed down during the war. Then those in the United States. Rossignol is we went back into production with a advertising in American publications, and revolutIonaly conceptlon~20to 24 lami~ U.S. teams are using their skis in inter­ nations of hickory or ash pressed together, national championships. (Garcia Ski Cor­ with the bottom made of a plastic. porationin New York is the U.S. importer.) "After our wooden skis for several Rossignol already has affiliates produc­ ing its skis in Switzerland and Germany. years we produced the 'Dynamic Metal.' Rossignol ski factory at Voiron (Isere). Despite its excellent reputation, we aban­ The company is backing its optimism doned it to perfect our models made of POPULAR AMONG BEST SKIERS about the U.S. and other foreign markets glass fiber and resin, convinced that this with a new factory near its present one Also used by members of the French was the ski of the future. And now we're in Voiron (Isere), which will be turning and other teams at Portillo were skis sure our laminated skis in glass fiber poly­ out 200 pairs of skis a day by the end of produced by the Rossignol (five medals) this year and, soon afterward, it is ester and glass will replace all other ma­ and Dynastar (six medals) companies planned, 400 pairs a day. terials. In fact, these skis outclass all of France. In fact, Rossignol's plastic others. Yet almost every day the chemical "Strato" and metal "Allais-Major" skis FOR THE JET SET industry comes out with some new and were used by more contestants at Portillo Next, the revolutionary ski suits­ better creation in plastics, and in our than any other mark except Head. Fusalp's one-piece "Combinaison G," in­ The "Strato" ski is a plastic monobloc cluding the patented "Fizz" stretch band made by a special Rossignol process.