Arnold Lunn

Born in Madras in 1888, Sir Arnold Lunn became one of the key early figures in alpine skiing. He is widely credited with shaping modern slalom racing, including introducing slalom gates in the 1920s, and he later received a knighthood for services to British skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations.

Lunn was more than a sportsman. He was also a mountaineer and a prolific writer whose books ranged across skiing, travel, and religion. After spending part of his early adult life as an agnostic and a critic of Catholicism, he converted in his forties and went on to write extensively as a Catholic apologist.

That mix of outdoor adventure and intellectual argument gives his work a distinctive character. Whether he was describing mountain sport or defending religious belief, he wrote as someone who liked clear ideas, strong opinions, and a good contest.