In 1942, a year after the world’s largest cable car opened at Chantemerle (now also known as Serre Chevalier 1350), Edmond Astier was one of three workers on the slopes of the fledgling ski resort. His job was to block channels, flatten snow with his skis, and rescue injured skiers. The soldiers from the base at the Col du Granon came every day to help them level the snow on 10 km of slopes. They would ride the cable car in the mornings and then spend the day walking sideways up the mountain to flatten the snow with their skis! There were no ‘track bashers’ in those days.

The people who worked at the resort devised various methods to smooth the slopes and get the injured off safely. For example, a thick log pulled with hemp ropes was a useful tool for flattening snow. It was vocational, physical work. In the fall, all the young villagers would help clear the tracks and widen them. And no salary. They enjoyed playing and learning on the ski slopes. Until then, snow had been considered a winter plague, but it soon became a source of enjoyment and trade. The Briançon area was one of the first in France to benefit from the so-called ‘white gold’.

In 1899, Berthe Clerc gave her husband a pair of skis for Christmas. These Nordic tablets were a curious thing, but after touring the valley, Captain Clerc soon took a liking to them. He quickly realized that skis were a much faster alternative to the snowshoes his soldiers used. He ordered 10 pairs from Norway and began to push for a general introduction to the army. There are 72 military buildings around the city, and Captain Clerc discovered that skis were the fastest mode of transportation in the winter.

The wooden skis were 2.5m long and edgeless, so skiing downhill was awesome and scary. To stop, skiers would drop to the ground and hope for the best. Army officers in Paris soon gave in to Captain Clerc’s insistent reports of the benefits of skiing and ordered 1,000 pairs from him. They also accepted the creation of a military ski school in Briançon. It was inaugurated in 1904, but in the meantime the captain had gone to Algeria. Captain Bernard was the one who started the ski school, but he was quickly replaced by Captain Rivas. Rivas immediately created a ski factory, the first in France.

Rivas wanted the French army to be self-sufficient but he also wanted to drive the population of the mountains out of their winter dwellings, where they were locked in smelly, smoke-filled rooms with their animals. The locals were far from convinced, but Rivas did not give up. He supplied skis to postmen, teachers, and forest workers. He also hosted 45 local youth and trained them. They were supposed to become governors to ski in their villages. He was determined to spread this ‘fascinating and healthy sport’. He was helped by the local French Alpine Club which had opened an office in Briançon in 1874. They were interested in promoting winter tourism. After a fierce discussion, it was finally decided to hold the first international ski competition.