Emile Allais

bio > Emile Allais

Emile Allais (b. 25/Feb/1912 Mégève - ) won Bronze medals in downhill and slalom at the Garmisch winter olympics held in 1936, the first to feature downhill skiing disciplines. In 1937 he was world champion at Chamonix. He created the Ecole Francaise de Ski which taught innovative French methods characterised by parallel turns.

After a spell in North and South America (Squaw Valley and Portillo) Allais held the post of technical director at Courchevel from 1954 to 1964 where he introduced many ideas from the USA regarding slope preparation and piste security. He later worked as a technical consultant for other resorts, notably La Plagne and Flaine. One of the Saulire couloirs at Courchevel is named after Allais.

In December 2005, 93 year old Allais made the trip to the French Senate in Paris where he was honoured along with a number of other ski instructors.

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