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Skis for Sale |
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Skis for Sale |
Classic Ski Brands and Manufacturers
1800s to 1950s
© Copyright 2010, Wood N Skis
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L. Bamberger &
Co Founded in 1893 by Louis Bamberger as L. Bamberger & Company in Newark, New Jersey, in 1912 the company built its landmark flagship store designed by Jarvis Hunt at 131 Market Street (Hunt would also design the Newark Museum following a gift from Bamberger). In 1929, Bamberger's was purchased by R.H. Macy Co. These skis were made by one of the ski manufacturing companies in the United States. |
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W. H. Brine Co. Brine is the successor to the original W.H. Brine Company founded in 1922. Brine started as a small athletic equipment and uniform company, selling to private schools and regional camps and quickly grew into a major manufacturer of lacrosse and soccer products. Today, Brine manufactures lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and field hockey equipment and has become one of the most respected privately-owned sporting goods manufacturers in the world. In the 1950's the focus of the Brine business was in lacrosse. At that time, all lacrosse sticks were wooden and the only producer was Chisholm Lacrosse located on the St. Regis Reservation, Cornwall Island, Canada. With the encouragement and assistance from A. MacDonald Murphy of Governor Dummer Academy, Ferris Thomsen, coach of Penn and Princeton and Mort LaPointe of Bowdoin College, the Brine family began to explore the possibilities of manufacturing lacrosse sticks. Source: http://www.brine.com |
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Broadmount Skis
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Dartmouth Skis Fred Harris, Class of 1911, founded the Dartmouth Outing Club in the winter of 1909–10. Harris was a native of Brattleboro, Vermont, and by his own account had “skeeing on the brain”. This pleasant affliction had him making skis (the typical size was eight feet long, ash or hickory) and using them on the local hills and farm fields. Source: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~doc/about/history/ "With the rapid rise in the popularity of skiing, sporting goods dealers throughout the country began searching for a source of supply for ski equipment. Naturally, their attention turned toward the cradle of the sport in this country; Dartmouth College. Here they found the Dartmough Cooperative Society supplying ski equipment to Dartmough students. The desire of these dealers to purchase similar equipment on a wholesale basis led to the founding of the Wholesale Divison of the Darmought Cooperative Society. The response to this venture was so favorable that it has been found necessary to form this Wholesale Division into a separate company. Thus, the season fo 1940-41 sees America's finest ski equpment repsented under the name of Dartmouth Skis Inc." Source: 1940-41 Dartmouth Ski Catalogue |
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Harvey E. Dodds Ltd. Harvey Dodds invented a ski binding in 1934 and received a patent. Harvey E Dodds Limited was a Canadian manufacturer of sporting goods, based in Montreal in the first half of the twentieth century. Known as "The Ski People," the company sold a large quantity of skis which were widely renowned for their finely crafted skis. The company reached its peak sales in the 1930s and early 1940s.
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Dominion Ski Limited |
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Eclipse |
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Fahlin Manufacturing
Company |
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Flexible Flyer-Splitkein-Østbye Inventor Jørgen Aaland was born in Veblungsnes, Norway in 1895. Much of his adult life he lived in the United States, but he returned to Norway and died in Veblungsnes in 1973. Jørgen Aaland was instrumental in the invention of the laminated ski. Click here for detailed history of Splitkein skis Source: http://www.woodenskis.com/SplitkeinHistory.htm
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Gregg Manufacturing
Company Gregg Skis was one of the three major suppliers of skis for the 10th Mtn. Div. during WW2. Harry Holmberg worked as a ski engineer and designer for Gregg skis in St. Paul, MN. Harry's brother, Hartvig “Hart” Holmberg, opened a carpentry shop in St. Paul, MN in 1943. Harry called upon Hartvig’s manufacturing skills and together they began working on a prototype, metal-edged ski. After three years of creating and refining, Hartvig, Harry and friend Ed Bjork were ready. In 1955 the first "Hart" metal-edged ski was introduced. Source: http://www.hartskis.com/history.html and MN Secretary of State
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A. Gresvig The ski logos shown at the left are from a ca. 1926 pair of wooden skis. Aksel Gresvig was a racing cyclist, and founded A Gresvig at Rosenkrantzgate 1 in Oslo in 1901. His vision was take sporting activity to the people. A Gresvig acquired the Huitfeldt Ski Factory and Sports Shop in 1923, and A Gresvig eventually exported skis to the rest of Europe and North America. The initial “A” was removed from the company name in 1927, and it was subsequently called Gresvig. Knut Gresvig joined the company in 1936. The ski and bicycle
factories moved to Alnabru outside Oslo in 1939, when the premises at
Stenersgate 4 were built. Gresvig developed a safety ski binding in
1955. This Kandahar brand was the most popular binding for cross-country
skis in the 1950s and 1960s. Aksel Gresvig took over from Knut Gresvig
in 1970 The ski and bicycle plant at Alnabru burnt to the ground in 1976, and the central warehouse was built at Askim south of Oslo in 1978. All the shares are sold to a company controlled by Norwegian businessman Kjell Inge Røkke in 1991. The company received a stock market listing in 1994. Røkke sold out of the company in 1996, and Gresvig became owned by financial investors. In 1997, Gresvig ASA acquired Sport Holding AS and the Intersport chain in Norway. The latter was the country’s second largest sports equipment chain. Gresvig ASA became a holding company, and its assets included two equal but competing chains – G-Sport and Intersport. G-Sport Norge Detalj (later Gresvig Detalj AS) was established. Source: www.gresvig.no |
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Groswold Skis Thor Groswold grew up in Norway on skis and is perhaps best known as the manufacturer of Groswold Skis in Denver, Colorado, from late 1932 until the spring of 1952. But he did much more than make skis. He spent his life selling skiing. And he sold it anywhere to anyone who was willing to listen. Thor was encouraged by friends and associates to begin to manufacture skis. He formed the Thor Groswold Ski Company in 1932 and started making skis at 38th and Walnut in Denver. The company was later incorporated as The Groswold Ski Co., Inc., and in 1934 was relocated to 1205 Shoshone St. where it operated until 1952 when the plant was closed. The company was literally started from scratch and as the business grew Thor developed ski making techniques by trial and error and from the little knowledge he had brought from the old country. Source: http://www.skiinghistory.org/Groswold.html
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Hedlund Manufacturing Company From article printed in 1956: In July, 1948, Swan Hedlund
met Ed Ruppert and Ray McCurdy at a reunion at a lake in Augusta, Wisconsin,
and during the course of conversation Mr. Hedlund expressed a desire
to go into business and stated that he was interested in establishing
a wood-working plant, having had a number of years experience in this
line of work in Minnesota. The Nokomisans advised that Nokomis was looking
for a new industry and hoped that the town might be considered for a
A building was completed in late 1948, and the building was sold to the Hedlund Manufacturing Company who opened for business in January, 1949, with eight plant employees and one office employee. Principal items manufactured at that time were toboggans and snow skis. Late in that year the manufacture of water skis was started on a small scale but during the past few years the popularity of water skiing has advanced so rapidly that water skis have now become the main item manufactured. The plant was originally started with 10,000 sq. ft. of floor space;
facilities have been expanded extensively during the past years so that
at the present time another addition is being made to the plant which,
when completed, will give approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of space in all.
Five years ago the manufacture of water skis averaged about 1500 pairs
for the year, three years ago 10,000 pairs, and this year it is estimated
that production will be well over 40,000 pairs besides The Hedlund Manufacturing Company is grateful to the people of Nokomis for their support and proud to have been a part of the town's progress. Source: http://www.nokomisonline.com/hedlundhistory.html |
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Jarvinen Jarvinen skis are made in Finland. Esko Järvinen was a Finnish nordic combined skier who competed in the late 1920's and early 1930's. He won an individual bronze at the 1929 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane.
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Ken Wel Ken-Wel was a sporting good company that was founded in 1919 by the Kennedy brothers (Allen, Dr. Morris, Bert, Phillip, Nelson and Jack) in Gloversville, NY. The Ken-Wel name had come from the Kennedy's last name and a partner named Wells. Wells pulled out of the venture before the company was started but the Kennedy brothers liked the name and kept it. In 1960 Kennedy Sporting Goods shut its doors. Made in Portland, OR Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_wel |
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Kennebec |
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Lund Christian A. Lund had been doing business under the name of C. A. Lund since 1927 in Hastings, MN manufacturing wooden skis, hockey sticks, and toboggans. Lund skis were a less expensive line of Northland Ski Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, MN. Lumber was imported from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana. Gross sales in 1936 were $332,000, of which 7% was sold in the home state of Minnesota. Source: http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/Board%20Decisions/006/VOL006-063.pdf
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Image by woodenskis.com
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Macy's
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Madshus In 1906, Martin Madshus started manufacturing skis in
a barn located in Vardal, Norway.
It is many years of ski manufacturing knowledge, Olympic medals from such great athletes like, Simon Slåttvik (1952), Håkon Brusveen (1960) and Thomas Alsgaard (1994, 1998, 2002) and Katerina Neumannova (2002) that has made Madshus the second largest ski manufacture in the world. Madshus looks forward to success at the Torino Olympics, and will present the Nordic world with its best ski, boot and binding program ever. Madshus - “The Cross Country Ski Company since 1906!” Source: http://www.madshus.com
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Mathis Giswil Daniel Mathis was a wood-working firm in Giswil, about 50 miles southwest of Zurich, Switzerland, on the road to Brienz.
Source: http://skiinghistory.org
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Northland Ski Manufacturing
Company Northland Ski Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1912. In 1913, Norwegian born Christian A. Lund became associated with the business through purchase of stock. In 1916, C. A. Lund owned most of the stock of Northland Ski Manufacturing Company. Lund began producing skis, toboggans, snowshoes and hockey sticks shortly after Lund’s arrival from Norway. Lund’s skis soon gained a widespread reputation for unsurpassed quality making Northland the largest manufacturer of skis in the world. Northland had an eastern factory for a time in Laconia, New Hampshire. According to a New York Times article on April 6, 1938, "The largest ski factory in the world will be ready early this month in Laconia, NH., according to annoucement yesterday by C.A. Lund, President of the Northland Ski Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, who said yesterday that his son Carl F. Lund, will be appointed executive manager of the Laconia plant. A complete line of skis, skiing accesories, hockey sticks, and toboggans will be manufactured." In the 1920s and early 1930s Northland published some of the first U.S. how-to-ski pamphlets printed in the U.S. Northland was forced to adopt fiberglass in the late 1960s, and became just another ski company—its product was pedestrian. And, unlike Rossignol, Kastle and Kneissl, Northland couldn’t afford to support athletes on the U.S. team, although they did sign Stein Eriksen. In October 1966, Northland was bought by Larson Industries, which built Larson and Glaspar fiberglass boats. Larson expanded rapidly into snowmobiles and other sports, and then went bankrupt. Most Larson stock was acquired by Wilson Sporting Goods in 1970 and the Larson conglomerate closed. Source: http://skiinghistory.org & http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/Board%20Decisions/006/VOL006-063.pdf
Monarch Monarch appeared in approximately 1942 and was a brand of the Northland Ski Company.
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Northstar |
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Paris Manufacturing
Company It all started, in 1861, when Henry Morton married Lucilla Forbes and the young couple started making sleds in their home. Henry constructed the sleds by hand and his wife decorated them. Their son, Will, an accomplished artist, distinguished himself as a sled painter, specializing in water scenes and scrolls. Hand-decorated sleds today are much sought after by collectors, but the originals were probably meant to ensure that each sled would be a child’s prized possession. During the early 1900s, when each sled was made by hand, the company employed close to 300 workers. It continued in operation as a family business, still employing 200 workers, until the family gave up ownership in 1970s and sold to Gladding Corporation. Finnish immigrants inspired the Paris Manufacturing Company to enter the ski business in 1900. At the time Paris was a large woodworking firm that specialized in sleds and other children's toys, and skis were a natural extension of their core business. Paris Manufacturing Co. (the forerunner to Paricon) supplied the sledges for both the Admiral Peary Expedition to the North Pole and a follow-up expedition by Donald MacMillan in 1914. Source: http://www.skimuseumofmaine.org
and http://www.pariconsleds.com |
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Peterborough Peterborough skis and toboggans were made in a division of Peterborough Canoe Company from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
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Plymouth Cooperative Society |
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Rossignol |
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Sandströms
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Stöckli Stöckli Ski has been crafting for 71 years, making it one of the oldest ski makers in the world. Joseph Stöckli made his first pair of wood skis out of Ash in 1936. In 1946 he set up his factory in Wolhusen, where he crafted laminated wood skis made of Hickory and other woods. In 1957 he made his first metal ski, and in 1965, the first composite-plastic ski was introduced to the market. Stöckli went on to continue to make skis for the European and United States' markets. Source: http://www.californiaskicompany.com/stockli.html |
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Strand Ski Company 1879 - The first large United States commercial ski factory emerged in St. Paul, Minnesota. Martin A. Strand, the company’s founder, began manufacturing skis believing he could capitalize on the new ski clubs that were beginning to form in Red Wing, Minnesota and Ishpeming, Michigan. He modeled his skis after the popular Norwegian Telemark ski, as did most ski manufacturing companies of the period. The success of the Strand Ski Company established St. Paul, Minnesota as the center for American ski manufacturing, a reputation that was enhanced by the arrival of the Northland Ski Manufacturing Company and the Gregg Ski Manufacturing Company. The Strand factory later moved to New Richmond, Wisconsin in 1911.
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Swedish Canadian Ski Company Skis were custom made and repaired for customers in and around Montreal, Quebec. |
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Telemark Ski Manufacturing
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Testa |
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W. F. Tubbs Company Made in Norway, Maine, Tubbs skis were a major manufacturer of skis in the 1920s. The company was founded by Walter Tubbs in Norway, Maine, in 1906 to manufacture ash snowshoes, skis, sleds and furniture. Snowshoeing enjoyed a mild popularity in the 1920s and '30s when laced wooden shoes cost about $20 a pair. The company's original heyday occurred in the 1940s when Tubbs manufactured close to 100,000 pairs of wooden snowshoes per year, many of which were used by Allied troops in World War II. "Snowshoeing was as, or more, popular than cross country skiing at that time," Kiniry says. The company moved to Vermont in the '40s, eventually settling in Brandon.
Another company called 'Vermont Tubbs' still exists there, manufacturing
wooden furniture.
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Viking If you have information on Viking Skis, please contact us.
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Warner Hardware Warner Hardware sold skis manufactured by local ski manufacturing companies. |
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Montgomery Wards |
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Western Flyer |
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Winner Line
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