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Pioneer Sondre Norheim, from Telemark, has often been called the father of modern skiing for inventing the equipment and techniques that led to modern skiing as we see it today. However, originally skis were used as a practical item, used primarily for travel in a climate that received an abundance of snow. 

The first hints to the existence of skis are on Cave and rock drawings discovered in 1933 in Norway which depict a man on skis holding a stick. During this time, however, skiing was not used as a sport but for survival. The oldest skis were found in Norway, where it’s believed that the first skiers tied bones of large animals to their boots with leather straps.  Short skis were found in Sweden, believed to be the oldest skis, which date back to 4500 years old.

As time progressed, people in the Telemark area in Norway began to develop skiing as a finer art.  In the early 1700’s, these people began to use skis to make downhill descents, and they were fond of making jumps.  This was the beginning of skiing as we know it today.  The jumps and downhill descents became known as the Nordic style.

 

The development of modern skiing as we know it was making strides in 1850 Sondre Norheim.  He created skis by typing twisted wet birch roots to his boots, and waited until the roots dried.  These bindings allowed for better control than the old leather straps, and now it was possible to make new turning motions.  Soon afterwards, in 1896, and Austrian named Mathias Zdarsky from Austria demonstrated the skill of pushing one ski at an angle to control speed.  Another Austrian, Hannes Schneider, continued to refine these skills in the early 1900s and started the first formal Method of Ski Instruction (frequently known as the Arlberg technique).  Because of the new developments, and the change in style, this new form of skiing became known as Alpine Skiing.

Around this time, skiing was changing into a competitive sport. The first known civilian ski race took place in Tromso, Norway in 1843. Also in 1888, the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen made the first crossing of Greenland, travelling from East to West on skis. The report on his expedition, was published in 1890 in both Norwegian and English, and later in German. It aroused great interest in skiing in Europe and the United States, as well as creating a Norwegian national hero. From then on skiing was regularly in the news, and was soon adopted as a pastime and a sport by the wealthier classes of Europe,

In 1921, the first slalom race was held in Switzerland, and Alpine Skiing events were added to the Winter Olympics in 1936.  During this time, skiing was becoming a popular pastime activity in Europe.  Around this time, a ski lift was invented, which contributed to the popularity.  Ski resorts were opened after World War II in Austria and Switzerland.

Skiing has continued to grow in popularity and is very much a popular activity for kids with skiwear brands developing ranges of children’s ski clothing to meet demand.  In less than one hundred years, there are choices of popular ski resorts world-wide.  Different schools of thought about different methods exist, but meanwhile ski manufacturers are refining their products for the ever-evolving sport, making it faster, safer, and more navigable to race down the hills.  You can find a wealth of information on skiing, and it has turned into such a popular sport that you can watch it on TV for the competitions from people around the world. Skiing should continue to grow in popularity as travel becomes more possible for the masses, and it is fast becoming a more accessible sport for the middle class.

Original article by http://www.thekidswindow.com