The world's earliest skiers did not use leather ski pole baskets simply because they did not use ski poles. Scandinavian nations get credit for inventing skis in the 1500s as a means of transportation rather than recreation. Leather ski pole baskets did not show up until about 4,000 years after skis made their initial appearance.
Earliest Leather Baskets
Skiers did not start using two poles until the early 1900s, according to Heritage Aspen. Skier Mathias Zdarsky brought the use of two poles into vogue by introducing a double-pole skiing technique. Skiers followed suit because it was fashionable to use two poles, but soon learned the poles also enhanced their control and skiing experience. The poles were first bamboo, then cane, both of which still contained leather ski pole baskets.
Leather Continues
Even when ski poles went from bamboo and cane to steel and fiberglass, they still stuck with their floppy leather baskets. Ski poles up through the 1950s featured leather baskets, although the basket design did a get a boost with a stronger outer ring that holds the leather strips in place. The basket outer ring went from easily breakable rattan to stronger rings of lightweight metal, but still contained the same old leather straps.
Leather Pushed Out
Upgraded baskets started pushing out the original leather design with inventions such as the Flexo-ring. The Flexo-ring has the claim to fame of being the first rubber basket made in the United States. Following the introduction of the Flexo-ring in the 1950s, the leather ski pole basket eventually disappeared from the scene, first replaced by rubber and later by plastic.
Modern Baskets
Modern ski pole baskets have a different design and material content than their leather predecessors. Baskets designs include a small solid disk, a snowflake, shape, a cylindrical or modified disk and the traditional outer ring design. Plastic is largely the material of choice, although rubber is still available with designs featuring an outer ring. Larger baskets are more efficient on powdered snow while smaller baskets work more effectively on sleeker slopes.
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