Head Standard Vintage 1958 Ski | Wall Decoration

An Oldie prefect for filling wall space as a center piece 

The 1958 Head Standard ski is a vintage handmade ski dating back to the post war production/innovation era. This ski has a particular reputation in history as it was know to be a cheat ski born from a beginner skiers frustration. 

It started with Howard Head, a aeronautical engineer for an aircraft company, went skiing for the first time back in 1947. He was humiliated by his poor performance and decided to use is 6,000 dollars in poker winnings to start a workshop in Baltimore. He then went through 39 failed prototypes before a breakthrough in 1950 with using metal within the ski. He came up with the "metal sandwich" on his 40th try, he perfected the design using a plywood core and binding it between 2 layers of high strength aircraft aluminum with a steel edges and a plastic base. 

The Cheater skis era was through the 1950s - early 1960s, it became a public obsession once head standard hit the market it was priced at $85 (double the price of high end wood skis). Despite the cost people bought because it made average skiers look like pros with increased turning, more stiffness, and more durability. Traditionalists and pros initially mocked them as "Cheater Skis" because they felt the equipment was doing all the work that used to require years of practice. The 1958 model you have is a classic example of this peak era. For most of the 1950s, the Standard was famously available in "any color as long as it was black," a nod to Henry Ford's Model T.

Condition:

These skis do have some rust on the edges and scratches from use, consistent with their age and history. No serious chipping or structural damage from time. The vintage patina adds to their authenticity as a piece of ski history and a testament to decades of mountain use and the innovation that changed skiing forever.