Józef Zubek

Józef Zubek was born into a family of skiers and thus took up the sport at a young age, exploring all of its different disciplines. His most significant international tournaments were the 1936 Winter Olympics, where he placed ninth and last in the military ski patrol demonstration event (alongside Władysław Żytkowicz, Jean Pydych, and Adam Rzepka), and the 1939 Nordic World Ski Championships, where he was 11th in the 50 km race. During World War II he fought with the Polish Armed Forces of the West until the end of the Battle of France, and then fled to Switzerland, where he remained until the conflict’s end.

Outside of competition, Zubek was involved in numerous facets of skiing and, prior to the war, tried his hand at ski course design. Afterwards, he competed for a brief period, but soon turned to coaching and instructing, and was well-regarded as a mountain climber and guide. He served as a coach with the Polish ski team at the 1960 Winter Olympics and in his spare time built a sizeable collection of documents and other materials on the history of skiing in Poland, becoming one of the foremost experts on the topic. His work both on and off the courses was recognized at every level, from local ski clubs to the Polish government.