Head of the Trail

To weekend skiers, the best skis in the world are the aluminum and plastic Head skis. The finest skis are traditionally made by European craftsmen, who have practiced the art for years, and in his field Howard Head, 45, is a Johnny-come-lately. The first time Head, a Harvard graduate ('36), went skiing was in 1946. He liked the sport but not the skis. An aircraft draftsman, Head decided that light and strong aluminum should be as good for skis as for planes. He proved his point by becoming the first manufacturer to sell metal skis in quantity. Head announced that his Baltimore-based Head Ski Co. Inc. this season will ship a record 42,000 pairs of metal skis. So popular is his product that 14,000 pairs will go to overseas customers, mostly in Austria and Switzerland, the traditional ski centers.

Head made his first pair of metal skis in a Baltimore machine shop with $250 worth of equipment. When an instructor flexed them in the snow for the first time, they broke. But this only convinced Head that he should quit his job, take the $6,000 he had saved and build more metal skis. Week after week during the winter of 1947-48, he sent his skis to Bromley Mountain (Vt.) Ski Pro Neil Robinson and told him to find a way to break them. Most of the time Robinson did. Two years later, Head added a plastic top and bottom and steel edges, bonded them to the aluminum and a laminated fir core under high pressure and temperature.

Skiers were amazed at the results.

Head's skis had near-magical turning ability, were virtually indestructible. They were also high priced ($89.50 and up).

Head was still in trouble even after his sales began to rise, lost money for nearly two years. (His sister tided him over with a loan of $12,200.) By 1953, the skis had won so much praise that he was able to get bank credit, sold a 40% interest in the company for $60,000. This year Head expects sales of $2,200,000, earnings of $100,000.

At Squaw Valley last week, Olympic skiers were testing a new racing ski Head has developed to overcome the problem of fluttering at high speeds, which slows the skier. As Head walked the slopes seeking pointers on how to improve his product, he saw dramatic proof of the superiority of metal skis. For the first time in Olympic history a gold medal was won by a skier. Frenchman Jean Vuarnet, wearing metal skis, developed especially by a French firm. For Head this was proof that the metal ski will be as good for racing as it is for fun.

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