Saturday, November 4, 2017

Esko Järvinen Skis Found in Costa Rica


I found this pair of Esko Järvinen skis on the wall of a restaurant called the "German Bakery" in Nuevo Arenal, Costa Rica. Here is an article about the origin of this pair of skis from Wikipedia.
Kauko Esko Järvinen (15 December 1907 – 7 March 1976) was a Finnish competitor in the Nordic combined and military patrol (precursor to biathlon). He won an individual bronze medal in the Nordic combined at the 1929 World Championships. At the 1928 Winter Olympics he finished fifth in the Nordic combined and 22nd in the ski jumping event. He also placed second in the team military patrol, which was a demonstration sport at those Olympics, and served as the flag bearer for Finland at the opening ceremony. 
After retiring from competitions Järvinen opened a ski manufacturing factory in Lahti, which ran until 1974 and went bankrupt in 1991, yet his son continued small-scale production of wooden skis. His brother Erkki was an Olympic triple jumper.
Sometimes it takes a little detective work to identify the things I find to photograph. The bindings on this pair of skis were manufactured in Sweden by the Rottefella Ski Binding Company. Here is an article about the bindings.
Rottefella is a Norwegian ski binding manufacturer. The name refers to the three-pin binding invented by Bror With in 1927, more formally known as the 75mm Nordic Norm. The binding was the standard for cross-country skiing for decades. Rottefella also produces one of the two systems that have largely replaced the 75mm, the New Nordic Norm.
Here is a wider view of the skis.


3 comments:

  1. nice!I just sold a similar pair which i wanted to keep but don't have the room or a friend with a ski house!

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  2. Hi my name is Edward I just acquired the same exact skis with both bamboo ski poles if you don't mind me asking very did you acquire them and how much could I sell a pair of these for it has all the Buckle Hardware with it they're not beat up when what's selling method should I use and that's if you know somebody who would be interested I know there's a lighter hardcore skiing fans out there that has a love for these kind of skis I just don't know anything about it please reply back to me it'd be nice to hear from you

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  3. Sorry, I don't know anything about the skis except what I learned online. I saw them in a restaurant in Costa Rica.

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