50th anniversary of death - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1990 - 5 Shilling

(* 25.02.1856, † 20.06.1940 in St. Pölten) is considered a pioneer of alpine skiing technique. Born the tenth child of a miller in Koschichowitz near Trebitsch in South Moravia, he became a teacher, then a painter and sculptor. In search of a place where he could pursue his artistic and scientific interests in peace, he settled around 1889 in the mountain farm "Habernraith" in Lilienfeld. Through snowy winter and the book "Nansens" (1891), he was induced to send snowshoes from Norway. He further developed the snowshoes designed for the lowlands and invented the steel sole binding. This allowed a firm connection with the ski surfaces and thereby the steering in the snow. In the following years he developed the skiing technique and the Torlauf, which earned him a variety of national and international prizes and honors. In the district Spratzern the city of St.Pölten a street was named after him. The army was also able to gain valuable insights into alpinism with his cooperation. Zdarsky's skiing technique was used as the basis for alpine training and he himself led military ski courses before and during the First World War. In 1907, "his" ski binding was standardized in the k.u.k. Army introduced.