The ski school in the 50s
In 1950 in Aspen, Zeno Colo wins the first giant slalom in history ahead of Villars’s adopted son Fernand Grosjean. The end of the decade would be marked by the rise of Toni Sailer, winning all titles at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics. In 1955, Georges Salomon, who had been manufacturing screwed edges until then, invents the safety binding for Emile Allais: the SKAD.
In Villars, the 1950s mark a strong resurgence in the development of the ski area with the construction of the Parc and Palace ski lifts, as well as the chairlifts “Les Chavonnes-Bretaye” and “Lac de Bretaye-Petit-Chamossaire”. The first installations from the 1930s (the funi-luge and Chaux-Ronde) are replaced by two crossbow lifts. For comparison, in France in 1948, there were only six ski lifts.
For the resort, the democratization of skiing and the development of ski lifts have led to a reversal in the importance of the seasons. Winter now takes precedence over summer. Villars experiences a golden era, and numerous personalities, including Joséphine Baker, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Roger Moore, Gary Cooper, Prince Rainier of Monaco, and Grace Kelly, will contribute to shaping the golden age of the resort through their regular presence.
The Swiss Ski School will, of course, be at the heart of this excitement and directly contribute to the success of the resort and its reputation for quality. During the decade and under the leadership of its director Jean-Louis Chable, the Swiss Ski School Villars will almost triple its staff to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1957, with about thirty instructors. Private lessons cost 10 francs an hour for 1 or 2 people.
The School welcomes up to five hundred students a day, particularly in group classes. This form of learning will greatly expand with the advent of so-called “mass tourism.”
