Mme Porges, championne de France de ski, équipée avec le moteur portatif de Santos-Dumont

SANTOS-DUMONT'S MOTORIZED SKIS

To enjoy the rather brief thrills of the descent, skiers are obliged to toil for a long time to reach the top of the slopes.
The ingenious mind of Mr. Santos-Dumont thought that the fatigue of these climbs could be eliminated, or at least seriously reduced, by devising motorized skis.
This original problem differed from the one that had once arisen, and which was solved long ago without great practical consequences: one could not use rollers and, short of turning the ski into a "caterpillar track", the bearing and gliding surface of the ski had to be left intact.

Here, then, is what the famous Brazilian engineer has devised.
To the front of each ski is attached a cable that passes over a pulley fixed to the rear of the opposite ski and winds onto one of the two drums of a small motor strapped to the skier's back.
This motor is coupled to a reversing gear, automatically disengaged after each stroke: under these conditions, the cables pull each ski alternately, and the sportsman, so we are assured, glides over the snow without effort.
A petrol engine of 1/10 horsepower, weighing no more than 800 grams, is sufficient.
Beyond its practical sporting interest, which is not rigorously demonstrated, this little motor seems to present a curious case of the transformation of a rotary motion into an alternating one.

(Translated from French)

Source : Mr. Emmanuel Mollot (France, 2001)

Note : Santos-Dumont's motorized-ski device is documented in his own hand. In a letter written from Biarritz on 11 August 1928, the inventor lists, among his last experiments, « un dispositif pour skis » (a device for skis), alongside work on experimental motors and a flapping-wing project.
Source : Alberto Santos-Dumont manuscript archive (albertosantosdumont.fr).

In 1928, in Biarritz, Santos-Dumont wrote one of his most beautiful letters on aviation. Dated Biarritz, August 11, 1928, this letter by Alberto Santos-Dumont offers a rare and deeply moving testimony from his final years of creative work. Settled at « La Casucha », the engineer rediscovered an undiminished enthusiasm for mechanics: in it he discusses his research on experimental engines, a device for skis, and even a flapping-wing project, revealing an inventive curiosity that remained ever vibrant. This handwritten letter reveals a Santos-Dumont hard at work, driven by the desire to « surprise aviation », far from the image of a withdrawn or disillusioned inventor. The sentence « Quem sabe se não vamos surpreender a aviação! » (« Who knows whether we might surprise aviation! ») alone captures the momentum, poetry, and boldness that make this one of the most beautiful letters known from the aviator, and a major piece of aeronautical history.

Transcription/translation of the above letter