Trivia Week 14

A couple of absolute shots in the dark. Technology per se is such a cliche these days.
Hmmm This could go in a couple of directions:
1. From a maintenance perspective, one breakthrough was the addition of extruded polyethylene bases (P-TEX) to the skis, allegedly to “eliminate the need for waxing” In point of fact PE might have been seen as a “work saver” for casual skiers, but waxing was still required by racers. PE of course required parallel breakthroughs in adhesives which led to another path of improving ski durability with skis of multiple materials.
2. From a social perspective, the Double Chair certainly allowed for growth in both the up hill capacity as well as conversation. While this “product line extension” actually happened in the late 1940’s its rapid deployment began in the mid to late 1950’s.
3. From a clothing perspective, the mass introduction of nylon materials, stretch pants, and insulated coats made things much more comfortable. Although there’s something to be said for the smell of woolens drying among the rafters overnight, co-mingled with whatever stew we were cooking.