If someone asks you to name something memorable that happened at a previous Winter Olympics, can you come up with anything on the fly other than the 1980 Lake Placid “Miracle on Ice,” when US Men’s Hockey Team beat the Russians for the gold? But if someone mentioned a specific Olympics or event, it might spark some kind of memory if you were on Earth to watch that particular games. That’s one reason to collect Winter Olympics vintage. Oh the memories!
With that in mind, we rounded up some interesting Winter Olympics vintage to help get you pumped up for this year’s Milan/Cortina Winter Games.
The trading of Olympic pins by athletes, media, officials and spectators is considered an unofficial sport. Think of it as the Olympics version of trading friendship bracelets at a Taylor Swift concert or exchanging swap pins at a Girl Scout Council encampment. These Winter Olympics vintage pins are way too cool to swap with your friends while you watch the games, but wearing one on your lapel will make them envious, so there’s that.
From top left:
1988 Calgary bobsleigh pin, $11.25, from Barda Exchange
1994 Lillehammer US Ski Team pin, $9, from La Pugla Pins
1992 Albertville Biathlon pin, $28, from Pin Pal Shop
2002 Salt Lake City Olympic flame pin, $10, from Vault82
1992 Albertville Speed Skating pin, $5, from La Pugla Pins
1976 Denver pin, $30, from Old Things Make Music. This pin is a huge piece of Olympic history. Denver was slated to host the Olympics, but in 1972, Colorado voters turned thumbs down on the $5 million bond to pay for it. Innsbruck stepped up to host. Read more here.
Nothing goes better with Winter Olympics than a good hat. Whatever your style, there’s an Olympics hat to keep your head warm.
The Calgary and Lake Placid three peaked style hat has a cool back story. Worn like a rooster’s comb, it originated in the 1960s in Stowe, VT. Created by Mrs. Moriarty, the Moriarty hat was THE ski hat of the 1960s and 1970s. At peak popularity in 1965, Mrs. Moriarty’s army of cottage weavers churned out 40,000 hats in one year. For you knitters out there, Vintage Unscripted posted a vintage pattern for a Moriarty style hat a while ago.
1976 Innsbruck, Austria wool hat, $76.50, from Steves Great Finds.
1980 Lake Placid, NY DEADSTOCK! acrylic Moriarty-style hat, $40, from rusty zipper.
2002 Salt Lake City fleece Team USA beret by Roots, $19.50, from Tangerine Trading Post.
1988 Calgary wool Moriarty-style hat, $35, from Hidden Riches Vintage
If you want to take your dedication to Winter Olympics vintage to the ultimate level, you need a fit. Here are three stunners to consider and dream about.
This 1988 Sarajevo ski jacket, by legendary ski maker Head, has the ABC network logo worked into the three rings, meaning it was likely worn by a member of the team covering the games, $245. Available from Brain Washington.
Imagine yourself in this 1988 Calgary Olympics men’s jacket and pants, worn by an ABC network broadcaster, $159.99. Available from vintage vixen.
Finally, an amazing 1964 Innsbruck parade coat and hat. Made by Lakeland, it’s beautiful ivory wool. A genuine piece of Olympic history, $800. Available from Straight 8 Vintage.
If you want to dazzle your friends with your Winter Olympic history knowledge, you can study up on some of these iconic moments:
- Franz Klammer’s scorching downhill run at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics.
- Jan,e Torvill and Christopher Dean’s lyrical and steamy ice dance to Ravel’s Boléro for a perfect score and gold medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.
- Hermann Maier’s epic crash in the downhill and his comeback three days later to win gold in the Super-G and giant slalom at the 1988 Nagano, Japan, Olympics.
- Figure skater Peggy Fleming winning the only US gold of the 1968 Grenoble, France, Olympics. Seven years earlier, the entire US Figure Skating team was killed when their plane, Sabina Flight 548, crashed while approaching the Brussels airport. The team was on their way to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague.
- Vonetta Flowers, the first Black athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, competing in with Jill Bakken in the USA-2 bobsleigh at the 2002 Salt Lake City games.
- Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards competing in the 70m and 90m ski jumping at the Calgary Olympics in 1988. He was Great Britain’s first ski jumper, and, with only 22 months of training, finished absolutely last in both events. On the other hand, he did set a record for Great Britain (he no longer holds it). After Eddie flew, the International Olympic Committee introduced stricter qualifying standards, known colloquially as the “Eddie the Eagle rule.” Need more Eddie? Read this.
