Esme Mackinnon
Encyclopedia
Esmé Mackinnon known as Muffie, was a British alpine skier
from Edinburgh
, Scotland
, remembered as the first female FIS
World Champion in both downhill
and slalom
. The editors of Ski magazine called Mackinnon and fellow British skier Audrey Sale-Barker
"probably the first women who could really be called racers." Sir Arnold Lunn
wrote that she "had the most remarkable record of any lady racer." In addition to her world championships, Mackinnon won the slalom and combined titles at the prestigious Arlberg-Kandahar
races in March of 1933, in Mürren
, Switzerland
.
After her skiing success, she married one L. M. Murphy.
in Mürren
, Switzerland
, winning both the slalom and the downhill. The races were held in deep, soft snow conditions that presented no problem for Mackinnon.
Mackinnon also won a third, unofficial race at the 1931 Championships, from Grütschalp
to Lauterbrunnen
. As Mackinnon approached the finish in Lauterbrunnen, she encountered a funeral procession passing by and stopped to wait. The timekeeper stopped the clock and then re-started it when she resumed her run. Some sources maintain that Mackinnon did this out of respect for the departed. According to Lunn's first-hand account, though, Mackinnon stopped out of necessity:
In any case, the Austrian protest was dismissed and Mackinnon was named the winner. Her final time was 10 minutes, 4.4 seconds.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, remembered as the first female FIS
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
World Champion in both downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
and slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
. The editors of Ski magazine called Mackinnon and fellow British skier Audrey Sale-Barker
Audrey Sale-Barker
Audrey Florice Durell Drummond-Sale-Barker , nicknamed Wendy, was a British alpine skiing champion and prominent aviator. She was born into high society, the daughter of children's writer Lucy Sale-Barker and Maurice Drummond-Sale-Barker...
"probably the first women who could really be called racers." Sir Arnold Lunn
Arnold Lunn
Sir Arnold Henry Moore Lunn was a famous skier, mountaineer and writer. He was knighted for "services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations" in 1952.He was born in Madras, India and died in London.-Early life:...
wrote that she "had the most remarkable record of any lady racer." In addition to her world championships, Mackinnon won the slalom and combined titles at the prestigious Arlberg-Kandahar
Arlberg-Kandahar
The Arlberg-Kandahar race is an annual alpine skiing event. The first edition of the race was held in 1928 in St. Anton, in the Arlberg district of Austria. The location originally alternated between St. Anton and Mürren, Switzerland...
races in March of 1933, in Mürren
Mürren
Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, at an elevation of 1,650 m above sea level and unreachable by public road....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
After her skiing success, she married one L. M. Murphy.
1931 World Championships
At the age of 17, Mackinnon received two gold medals at the 1931 World ChampionshipsFIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1931
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1931 were held in Mürren in Switzerland, from February 19-23, 1931.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:Key:...
in Mürren
Mürren
Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, at an elevation of 1,650 m above sea level and unreachable by public road....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, winning both the slalom and the downhill. The races were held in deep, soft snow conditions that presented no problem for Mackinnon.
Mackinnon also won a third, unofficial race at the 1931 Championships, from Grütschalp
Grütschalp
Grütschalp is a station on the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen - Mürren mountain railway. It is also where the Lauterbrunnen - Grütshalp aerial cableway interconnects with the railway....
to Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.The municipality lies in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and comprises the villages Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg and Isenfluh...
. As Mackinnon approached the finish in Lauterbrunnen, she encountered a funeral procession passing by and stopped to wait. The timekeeper stopped the clock and then re-started it when she resumed her run. Some sources maintain that Mackinnon did this out of respect for the departed. According to Lunn's first-hand account, though, Mackinnon stopped out of necessity:
- An incident unique in ski-ing history occurred at the finish. The finishing posts had been placed just outside the Lauternrunnen station. Shortly before Miss Mackinnon appeared, a funeral procession emerged from the station and passed between Miss Mackinnon and the finishing posts. Miss Mackinnon naturally stopped, and her time was taken to the point where she stopped, and from the point where she stopped till she had passed through the finishing posts. She lost, of course, a few seconds for she had to start again on the level instead of being carried through the posts by her impetus. The Austrians put in a protest, alleging that the time that the funeral procession had taken to pass should be added to her time. This struck us as rather odd for the object of a race is surely to prove that you have skied faster than your rivals, and not that you are entitled to a prize as the result of the opportune intervention of a funeral procession. (p. 79)
In any case, the Austrian protest was dismissed and Mackinnon was named the winner. Her final time was 10 minutes, 4.4 seconds.