History of skiing

Consider how you first became interested in skiing.

Do we all understand where our “liberty” came from? The term “ski” is derived from the Old Norse word skio, which means “wooden piece.” The ski predated the wheel. Skiing has a long history, dating back to 8000-6000 BC, with rock paintings and sets of skis preserved in bogs. According to Roland Huntford’s Two Planks and a Passion, skiing began as a means of survival. Cave drawings, according to Huntford, indicate that humans used skis during the last Ice Age, during the Palaeolithic period. Grigoriy Bukov, a 1960s archaeologist, discovered a primitive wooden ski dating back to 6000 BC near Lake Sindor in Russia.

In China’s Xinjiang province, they still make skis by splitting spruce trees and wrapping them in dried horse skins, which they use to climb and slide down slopes. However, unlike modern skiers, they only have one pole. They require the other hand to hunt elk! Military considerations shaped the next era of skiing. Skiing down slopes, around trees, across level snowfields, and while shooting were all part of the Norwegian army’s skill competitions in the 1760s.

These races were forerunners to Olympic sports. In the 1860s, Oslo hosted the first national race. The adrenaline rush of gliding down a mountainside had more mass appeal than skiing across level terrain, so the 1880s saw a shift from Nordic skiing (cross-country skiing) to Alpine skiing (downhill skiing). This evolution eventually resulted in the Alps becoming the new centre of the skiing world.

The first Winter Olympics were held in Charmonix, France in 1924! Have you ever considered that you can ski faster than you can drive? Some people, for sure! Most passenger cars are designed to reach speeds of around 120 miles per hour. Speed skiers, on the other hand, who throw themselves down super steep slopes at maximum speed, can go much faster.

The current world record, held by Italian skier Simone Origone, is an incredible 156.2 miles per hour! What a Speedy Gonzales! A bit of information for you guys, as I believe that people can get a lot more enjoyment out of the sport if they know something about its history.

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