François Bonlieu and his skis...

Just a few years ago, this famous, yet almost unknown French ski champion was the topic of this blog.

At age 17, Bonlieu won a Silver Medal just behind Stein Eriksen at the Åre Olympics in 1956, a Bronze at the Bad Gastein World Championships of 1958 and an Olympic Gold in Innsbruck in 1964. All medals won in Giant Slalom.

He was a natural-born skier and could ski anything on almost anything. The last time I skied with him was in 1973 (a few months before he passed) on the “Crozats de la Chaux” in Avoriaz, France. He skied the untracked slope straight down on one ski (he had at the time a pair of Fischer with the toe mounted at half-chord length).

He could have been on two-by-fours, it wouldn't have bothered him a bit. Morale of the story: What counts first and foremost is the guy or gal on top; the boards are just secondary...