[UPI, Bettmann] Gary Cooper and Clark Gable contributed to skiing's jet set image.

As prosperity returned after the dislocation of the Second World War, people once again took to the slopes. This was the period of rapid development of resorts and lift systems for the mass skiing market.

1946
First teleski in the Trois Valleacutees, France and opening of Lift One in Aspen, Colorado.

1948
First experiments with artificial snow-making carried out in Connecticut.

1950
First commercial production of metal skis. After years of experimentation, Howard Head, an aerospace engineer, finally succeeded in producing a wood/plastic/aluminium laminated ski that did not fall apart instantly. The black Head Standards were soon dubbed 'cheaters' because they turned so easily.

1950s
Stretch pants invented by the German Bogner family. Skiing was confirmed as a glamour sport. First safety bindings produced by Hannes Marker.

1952
Giant slalom added to the Oslo Olympic programme.

Mid -1950s
Austrian skiers, including Toni Sailer, dominated the racing scene. Wedeln, defined by skiing guru Professor Kruckenhauser as 'parallel turning in quick succession using reverse shoulder and heel pressure,' became all the rage.

1955
Clips began to replace laces as fastenings on ski boots.

late 1950s
Frenchmen Georges Joubert and Jean Vuarnet broke the Austrians' hold with their new turn, the Christiania léger.

1967
First plastic boot produced by Bob Lange. The days of damp leather were over.

1968
Jean-Claude Killy won gold in all three alpine disciplines at the Grenoble Olympics.

1970s
Explosion of popularity of the sport due to easier-turning skis, moulded boots and package holidays. First use of fibreglass in ski construction by Austrian Franz Kneissl. Ingemar Stenmark became the most successful alpine skier ever with 86 World Cup victories.

The 1980s and 1990s
During the 1980s, skiing matured into a major sport and leisure industry throughout Europe, the United States and Japan. New materials, such as carbon fibre, Goretex, titanium and Kevlar continued to improve equipment, while new fabrics and insulating materials improved ski clothing, offering skiers increased comfort and freedom.

Novel ways of sliding appeared, offering a challenge for those jaded by normal skiing. Monoskis, mini skis, ski-scooters and hang-gliders all enjoyed a boom; parapenting and snowboarding became established as major sports, and telemarking enjoyed a rebirth.

In competition, freestyle skiing grew in popularity, with ballet, moguls and aerials demonstrated at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Moguls achieved full medal status at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, France; aerials in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway.

Meanwhile, the environmental cost of the sport began to make itself felt. With some 40000 runs, 14000 lifts in the European Alps, and with tourists spending around 250 million holiday days there, the region began to show increasing signs of pressure. In Europe and the United States, environmental considerations all but put a stop to the expansion of ski areas.

Skiers are now increasingly reminding themselves that skiing is not only about speed and physical exertion, but also about appreciating nature and the surrounding mountainscape. Touring, heli-skiing, skiing in exotic locations and other ways of getting away from the herd are all growing in popularity.