Glory days

I had a poster of Bojan Križaj on the wall above my bed in my room as a child. In my own little world, this was the ultimate image of sports; Bojan on the steep slope of Wengen, speeding to victory on his RC zero-fives. That hundred and twenty-fifth of a second in which the master photographer Egon Kaše captured the fight of one of the best Slovenian skiers of all time on one of the most notorious slalom courses has become legendary.

I was eight years old in 1980. Like every kid at the time, I fantasized about becoming Bojan on the tiny hill in front of our block. Well, he raced on slightly more challenging slopes. He had the dubious fortune of racing in the era of the unbeatable giant Ingemar Stenmark. Despite the Swede's superiority over his rivals, it was only a matter of time before that elusive number 1 would light up alongside Bojan's name. Then came that Sunday in January when it all finally came together. The skills, the talent, the courage, and all the endless turns he made between the gates on the icy slopes of Zelenica above his hometown of Tržič finally paid off. With number 6 on his chest, Bojan raced down the Wengen track in a kind of controlled rodeo and on that day even the great Ingemar Stenmark could do nothing but watch and in the end reach out a sporting hand to congratulate Bojan on his piece of history. For the people of Slovenia, the win was nothing short of spectacular. It was the first time a Slovenian skier won a World Cup race. 

With his trademark his blonde hair blowing in the wind, Bojan skied with a unique combination of elegance, passion, feeling, determination, and courage. Not only were helmets not compulsory in slaloms at that time, but no one even thought of using one. Bojan didn’t even wear a hat. Uninformed critics claimed he was often betrayed by stage fright, but they had no idea what they were talking about. At the time, the crowds at World Cup races were enormous. The view from the starting hut towards the valley must have been terrifying. A skier had to have nerves of steel and a remarkable ability to concentrate to be able to do their best under such pressure. In Bojan’s case, the pressure was even greater because as a young man of just twenty-three, he carried on his shoulders the expectations, wishes, and aspirations of an entire nation for which skiing was a major part of its national consciousness and identity. In this respect the magnitude of his victory was even greater.

Every victory has its share of positive side-effects, including relaxation, relief, and faith that together create a special form of confidence. The following year the scene was set for the second act of Križaj's Wengen story. Perhaps this was even more inspiring than the first. 

“In 1981 I raced in the Kitzbühel downhill just before Wengen and I crashed quite hard. I came to Switzerland bruised; my whole body was sore. So, after the first run of the Wengen slalom, where I defended my victory from a year ago, I only came 10th,” recalls Križaj. The rest is history. That year he achieved one of the most memorable victories in the history of the World Cup. Back then, the top five finishers from the first run started the second run in reverse order. After five runs, it looked like Ingemar Stenmark was going to win. Then Luxembourg's Marc Girardelli caused a commotion with a superb ride to overtake the legendary Swede. But his joy was short lived. Bojan Križaj stood in the start hut with number 2 on his chest. His eyes were calm, focused, and determined. It was as if he knew the labyrinth of red and blue gates by heart. That famous steep run, on which mere mortals can barely stand, seemed almost flat. And then, for the second year in a row, the number 1 lit up next to the name Križaj.

Bojan Križaj remains the most successful Slovenian male skier in history. In addition to Wengen, he also won at other classic venues in his career, including Kranjska Gora, Madonna di Campiglio, and Kitzbühel. In 1982, he won the silver medal at the World Championships in Schladming. In the winter of 1986/87, he won the small crystal globe as the world's best slalom racer. In total, he achieved 8 World Cup victories in his career, all in slalom, making him the third most successful slalom skier of his generation. 

These are the stories that make up Elan's history. These are the stories on display at the Elan Alpine Ski Museum in Begunje, Slovenia.

Bojan Križaj achieved both of his Wengen victories on Elan RC05 skis. The legendary black, two-meter-long RC zero-fives were the archetype of an outstanding slalom ski. “For me, confidence in the equipment was key. This was especially important on steep and icy slopes like Wengen. I also had the best advisor and confidant in my technician Miran Gašperšič, who had a wealth of technical skills and detailed knowledge of the structure of the skis. He was always able to advise me on the choice of skis, and his advice almost always proved to be correct and sound,” Križaj recalls. The RC05 skis that the Slovenian ace raced and won with are also on display at the Elan Museum.