|
History of Skiing.
Although its origin is obscure, skiing was a vital
means of transportation and a valuable military skill in
Scandinavia, Snow skiing evolved gradually from snowshoes which were
used to make transportation in snow easier. Sometimes wooden planks
were strapped to feet, to prevent sinking and making it possible to
glide over the snow and travel faster. A short ski was discovered in
Sweden, believing to be over 4,500 years old.
Ancient cave drawings also suggest an even earlier
use of skis. These early skis were used to help travelers stay on
top of the snow and were often used by hunters. In the early 1700's,
the people of Norway began to learn new ways of developing skiing
techniques. They found that they could control the speed of a
downhill descent and also discovered the ability to jump on skis.
The early skis provided an attached boot that was mounted to the
front of the skis, commonly known as Nordic skis.
Skiing was introduced into Central Europe at the close of the 16th
century. In the last half of the 19th century Norway held two-day
carnivals that included races and jumping.
By the 1900's skiing grew to become more of a sport. The first
Winter Olympic Game took place in France in the year 1924. The two
skiing events offered were Nordic, ski jumping, and Nordic combined.
Cross-country would make the Olympic event in the year 1932 in Lake
Placid. As skiing took on more challenging terrain, new equipment
and techniques needed to change. Alpine skiing equipment was made
with a boot mounted to both the toe and heel ends of the skis. This
type of ski gave the skier more control, allowing for sharper turns,
faster speeds and the ability to negotiate steeper slopes. In 1936
Alpine ski events were included in the Olympics.
It is uncertain whether Americans learned skiing
from natives or whether it was brought to America by Norwegian and
Swedish immigrants in the mid-19th cent. The first U.S. ski club was
formed in 1872, and the National Ski Association was founded in
1904. In 1924 the Federation International de Ski was founded, and
skiing became part of the first Winter Olympics.
|
