Erwin Stricker, a skier from the Italian Alps who rose to fame in the ’70s and was part of the ski team, has died. Aside from belonging to the ‘Valanga Azzura’ (the national Alpine ski team), he was renowned in the world of winter sports and in volunteer circles even after he retired. Following a serious illness, he fell off the radar. His colleagues knew him as the ‘Cavallo Pazzo’ (wild horse); he invented a set of innovative mechanisms which changed Alpine skiing forever. Some of the equipment he came up with included knee pads, the Geierschnabelpoles, an aerodynamic helmet and one for slalom races.