Thor Tangvald was a Norwegian Nordic skier who competed in the 1920s, including at prestigious events such as the annual Holmenkollen festival in Oslo. Following his competitive career, he worked with ski manufacturers to design ski equipment. One example is this pair of chrome steel ski poles that was developed in a partnership with a leading ski equipment retailer of the era, Ski Sport Incorporated in Boston, MA, USA (at this time the northeastern USA was the center of the ski industry in the country).
What is interesting with these poles is the use of Swedish steel - given the provincial nature of the ski industry in the Nordic countries at the time (and up through the early 70s!), one could imagine that using Swedish steel as an input to a Norwegian-made ski pole might be a non-starter. Hence the partnership with a USA vendor.
These poles feature a unique wooden handle with traditional leather straps, along with well-preserved metal ring baskets which were the norm in both alpine and cross-county skiing until the early 60s. The pole shafts are untouched from their date of production, and feature all of the dings and chips one might expect from a well-used 80+ year-old product.
Why chrome steel vs. traditional bamboo? Strength and weight are two key factors when designing ski poles. These light poles are an experiment in balancing the two often opposing requirements.
Size: 135cm Material: chrome steel with wood handles and leather straps Baskets: metal ring with leather Weight (pair): 540gm Mfg date: 30s Manufacturer: Thor Tangvald/Ski Sport Incorporated
