Alpine skiing/Chamonix/Couttet/Gorde/Olympism. Original lith - Lot 318

Alpine skiing/Chamonix/Couttet/Gorde/Olympism. Original lithographed poster: "CHAMONIX-FRANCE, KANDAHAR, la plus grande épreuve internationale de ski, 5-6-7 et 8 mars 19848...". By G.Gorde. This poster is simply fabulous for several reasons: a) because it's of Chamonix, the mecca of French winter sports, the birthplace of the first Winter Games in 1924; b) because Mont Blanc is there, behind this sublime skier with visored helmet and shirt collar; c) because this is the KANDAHAR, the grail for skiers; d) because in 1948, it was James Couttet (1921-1997), a native of Les Bossons, who won the Kandahar for the second time!!! At the age of 16 and a half, in 1938, he had already been world downhill champion, and in 1948, at the St Moritz Olympics a few weeks earlier, he had won silver in the slalom and bronze in the combined. So, at the beginning of March 1948, journalist Alex Virot wrote in "L'Equipe" about this edition, which included an extraordinary downhill run that was once again "inhuman" (sic): "There were 80 starters, and only 45 finishers. The great Pillow had broken a ski, but James was a cut above the rest! Jean Pazzi, Désiré Lacroix, and Auguste Masson, completed the tricolor recital, which saw James nicely confirm his nickname of "Archangel of the snow...". He won his third Kandahar in 1950, a year in which he was again runner-up in the downhill and bronze medallist in the giant. d) Finally, we must mention the creator of this marvel: the great Gaston Gorde (1908-1995), to whom winter sports gave wings... He created equally unforgettable posters for Rossignol and Allard, the equipment manufacturers, as well as for specialized resorts and trade shows in Grenoble, Autrans, Superbagnères and Le Mont-Dore. Printed by Publicité Gorde Grenoble. Cloth-covered. 99.5 x 62cm. TBE.