History

Skiing seems to have been around forever. Almost everyone skis, snowboards, or at least has heard about them. But when did skiing really start and who started it. The very first people to ski were the Norse who lived where there was a lot of snow so skis were needed. In Norway, an archaeologist found a 4,000 years old carving of a person skiing! So anyone can tell they knew about skiing back then. Skiing was so important to them that the Vikings of Scandinavia had a god and goddess of skiing: Ullrand and Skadi. Skiing was even used in the military! In 1721 the Norwegian army made a "ski company" for traveling swiftly over the snow. And In Europe of the sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries, written descriptions of skis and binding appear in print along with sketches of those early skis. In North America, Early explorers, trappers, and settlers most likely used snowshoes to cross snowy mountains and plains. But written records of skiing in North America did not begin until about the middle of the nineteenth century. Nordic and German immigrants coming to America probably introduced skiing. They brought both their knowledge of skiing and skis themselves. . Around the turn of the century ski Norwegians introduced schools with recorded competitions. Ski jumping also started about then. Then Mathais Zdarsky published the first analysis and description of skiing in 1896; he is considered the father of Alpine skiing technique. But just how and why did these first skiers use skiing? There are records of people using skis to hunt animals for food in snowy areas. This allowed them to chase the faster animals and made catching them easier. Messengers also carried their messages while on skis. Again this was much faster, and faster was better. Plus it was a lot easier on the messengers instead of running. And in early Colorado skis were used for transportation over the snow. Mining camps used ski racing as a distraction from the day-to-day work. In Bozman skiers collected old skis in mid-December and tossed them onto a giant bond fire for their snow God. This was to make sure plenty of snow fell for the next snow season. Most everyone knows what skis are like today, but what were they like way back then. Back then skis were wooden with woolen shoes strapped to the top with animal skin, pant vines, or leather thongs. Also the hells were loose for cross-country skiing, this made stepping much easier. Cross-country skiing was used more than downs hill because skiing wasn't for enjoyment but traveling. Also one had to make their own skis, plus if one wanted to learn how to ski, one had to be taught by one's parents of someone else who was willing to teach them. People also added animal bones as snow shoes or ski support. Because of the loose straps it was very hard to stop or turn, so speed was very limited. Then someone figured out how to tighten their heals down that made for faster down hill skiing. Then a guy named Hannes Schneider who came from Austria decided that recreational skiing would be a fun thing for everyone. So he went public with it. 2 years after World War 1, Hannes started the first organized ski school that had a definite teaching protocol. This school was In North Conway, New Hampshire. But then other ski schools were made that were associated with different national styles: there were French ski schools, German ski schools, Swiss ski schools, Italian ski schools, and, eventually, American ski schools. And by 1880 people began to ski just for fun. So what are skis like today? Today there are people who ski so much that it is all they live for (life all their money is spent on it). These people are called "ski bums." Anyone can now be taught by professional instructors, who are usually ski bums themselves. Also, skis are professionally made and can be bought or rented almost anywhere. Even handicapped people (like those with no use of their legs) can still ski using special equipment where they sit in a sled and use their entire body to steer instead of using their legs. But with easier skiing comes more extreme skiing, and from that comes more obstacles to overcome. People can fall into a snow drop and not be able to stand up, they can be covered in an avalanche, lose their way, break bones doing tricks, or even worse things. So there is a ski patrol that constantly monitor the hill to watch over the people. Skiing. There are even rescue dogs trained to find lost people. And a recent addition to skiing is snowboarding which is based on skiing but is probably easier because there is only one piece of equipment instead of 4. This shows that skiing has been around a long time and it was used a lot. It also shows how much it has changed. In many years people will say it has changed allot since now. But the basics of skiing will always be the same, plus one important part: Skiing is Fun!!!