Everything about Skier totally explained
» This article is about snow skiing. For water skiing, see water skiing. For other related articles, see ski (disambiguation)
Snow skiing is a group of sports utilizing
skis as primary equipment. Skis are used in conjunctions with
boots that connect to the ski with use of a
binding. Although
snowboarding shares the general characteristics of skiing sports, it evolved from
surfing and
skateboarding and so isn't considered a type of skiing.
Skiing can be grouped into two general categories.
Nordic skiing is the oldest category and includes sport that evolved from skiing as done in
Scandinavia. Nordic style
bindings attach at the toes of the skier's
boots, but not at the heels.
Alpine skiing includes sports that evolved from skiing as done in the
Alps. Alpine bindings attach at both the toe and the heel of the skier's
boots. As with many disciplines, such as
Telemark skiing, there's some crossover. However, binding style and history tend to dictate whether a style is considered Nordic or Alpine. Thus, in view of its lack of a locking heel, and its roots in
Telemark,
Norway,
Telemark is generally considered a Nordic discipline.
History
Invented by pre-historic Nordic Peoples, skiing was originally a practical way of transportation for the Nordic peoples and the Samis (indigenous peoples of modern day Norway, Sweden and Finland) to get from one place to another, for hunting, and later military technique. The oldest and most accurately documented evidence of skiing origins can be found in what is modern day Norway and Sweden. The earliest form of primitive carvings from 5000 B.C. depicting a skiier with one pole can be found in
Rodoy, an island located in the
Nordland region of
Norway. Primitive skis have also been found originating with the Nordic Peoples. The first primitive ski was found in a peat bog in Hoting, Sweden which dates back to 2500 or 4500 B.C. . Also, as reported in 2004 following final carbon testing by Joel Berglund, another discovery of a primitive ski, or "85cm long piece of wood", was made by researchers in 1997 while excavating a Norse settlement located near Nanortalik,
Greenland. Dating back to 1010, it's thought to be Greenland's oldest ski brought by Norsemen from 980 A.D.
Other accounts of early Nordic skiing are found with two modern cross-country endurance races in Norway and Sweden. These ski races were inspired by famous historical accounts of early medieval skiing in their respective countries. The oldest account involves the famous story from 1206 A.D. of the Birkebeiners during a civil war in medieval Norway. Considered the underdog, the Birkebeiners were at war against a rival faction known as the baglers. Following the death of the Birkenbeiner chief, the baglers feared a rival in his young son Haakon Haakonsson. In order to protect him, two of the most skillful Birkenbeiner skiers, with toddler in tow, skied through treacherous conditions over the mountains to safety in
Lillehammer. Since 1932, Norway's annual
Birkebeinerrennet, runs a 54 km cross-country ski race which pays tribute to this historical account. Since 1922, Sweden has run their own ski marathon known as the
Vasaloppet. With its longest race at 90 km, and finishing in
Mora,
Sweden, it's known as the world's longest cross-country ski race. This endurance race commemorates the memory of "freedom fighter"
Gustav Vasa and subsequently Swedish independence. Pursued by the Danes in 1520 A.D. (under order from King Christian of Denmark who controlled Sweden at the time), Gustav Vasa attempted to raise an army against the Danes, but was forced to flee by skis north west towards Norway. Tracked down by Mora's two best skiers, Gustav returned with them to Mora and lead an uprising which eventually overthrew Danish rule.
Skiing is also recorded in early literature. Icelandic saga author (circa 1200)
Snorre Sturlason wrote of Ull "God of Skiing" and Skade "Goddess of Skiing and Hunting" in Norse mythology. One of the world's oldest references to skiing is by
Egil Skallagrimsson’s "950 AD saga describing King Haakon Adalsteinsfostre the Good’s practice of sending his tax collectors out on skis". Another one of the oldest written accounts of skiing, is by Swedish writer Olaus Magnus in his writings
A Description of the Northern Peoples in the year 1555. His accounts record early primitive skiers (presumably the Sami People) and their "climbing skins" in Scricfinnia, a country or region at the top of modern day Norway. Sometime around 1800 A.D. Danish traveler Father Knut Leed made reference in Geographie to Norwegian kids "skiing just for the fun of it, being able to pick up a hat dropped on the slope while going at full speed." The word "ski" itself is one of a handful of words Norway has exported to the international community. It comes from the Old Norse word "skio" which means split piece of wood or firewood. Previously, English speakers considered skiing to be a type of snowshoeing. In regions where loose snow dominates, the indigenous population developed
snowshoes that didn't slide across the snow, rather than skis which do. Today's forms of skiing are the modern extensions of ancient Nordic skiing. Whether it be the Nordic forms of
Cross-country skiing (a form of Telemark skiing) and
Telemark skiing,
Ski mountaineering or
Alpine skiing, modern forms of skiing share common threads of origin from the
Telemark region in
Norway led by Norwegian ski innovator
Sondre Norheim.
Norwegian
Sondre Norheim is known as the "father of modern skiing" (meaning the originator of skiing as recreation and sport). From the Telemark district of
Morgedal,
Norway, which is also known as the "cradle of skiing", Norheim created the design templates from which all forms of modern skiing are derived. In 1850, woodcarvers from the Telemark region introduced lighter, thinner, cambered skis. These developments were accompanied by Norheim's creation of stiff
bindings by fully securing the heel with a strong yet flexible strap made from birch roots. This new binding system enabled the skier to swing, jump and maneuver turns while skiing down hills. These were known as "Osier" bindings. Morten Lund writes, in his piece outlining the development of Alpine skiing, that "Telemark skiing marked the transition to dynamic control, changing the angle of the ski bottom on the snow and changing the direction of the ski to the line of descent—the basis of technique even today", thus the necessity for Norheim's heel binding invention. And as a result, came the "flowering of the world’s first "freestyle" contests—climbing, running, making turns for the heck of it and flying off natural bumps on unprepared snow."
In 1868, along with a couple of fellow skiers, Norheim attended the "second annual Centralforeningen (Central Ski Association) open ski competition whose object was to demonstrate skill at descending a particular slope in the city." At the competition, Norheim demonstrated groundbreaking techniques which set the ideal benchmarks for skiing in Norway and the European Continent: the arc like sweep of "telemark turn" along with the skidded "stem" stop turn (or commonly known as the "parallel" stop turn), which was initially known as the "Christiania" turn (original name for modern day
Oslo). The "Christiania" came to be known simply as the "Christi" turn with the formalization of ski rules in 1901. Both turns, which originated in
Telemark, mark the distinction between Telemark and Alpine skiing.
Then in 1870, Norheim introduced his adaptive design of the
Telemark or "narrow-waisted" ski - "the forerunner of the sidecuts used on skis today." Skis were narrowed, shortened and sides curved inwards. These refinements greatly facilitated easier ski turns and set "the standard for ski design over the next century." By the 1880s, as demand for Norwegian skis increased, changes led to the development of the first laminated skis which began to appear in 1881. These new fangled "hand-crafted" skis were constructed "with an ash sole and pine top" and first exported to Sweden in 1882. Also in 1882, the first hickory skis appeared in Norway providing for a thinner more flexible ski. Ski development was continued by Norwegian H.M. Christiansen who constructed the first two-layer laminated ski in 1893, followed by fellow Norwegian Bjørn Ullevoldsaeter's patented three-layer laminated ski. (Incidentally, this style was also independently developed by George Aaland in Seattle.)
Collectively, these innovative designs and techniques laid the foundation for all forms of modern skiing and further developments, including one established form of skiing called
Slalom by Norheim and his contemporaries in the Telemark region. Slalom, or "slalåm" in Norwegian dialect, is a Norwegian word originating from Morgedal, Norway. "Sla" refers to slope, hill, or smooth surface while "låm" means "track down the slope".
The skiing techniques of 19th century Morgedal known as
Telemark skiing or "telemarking" underwent a revival in the 1970s. This revival of Telemark skiing has been attributed by author Halvor Kleppen to five American skiers from Colorado: Doug Buzzell, Craig Hall, Greg Dalbey, Jack Marcial and Rick Borkovec, who were collectively inspired by Norwegian ski phenomenon and Olympic champion
Stein Ericksen and his book
Come Ski With Me.
Whereas
Sondre Norheim had initially invented secure heeled bindings using water-soaked, flexible birch roots, the next significant development of binding came in 1894 from Fritz Huitfeldt who invented a binding with a secure toe iron which allowed the heel to move freely. This became the standard industry binding through the 1930s.
[Sectionto possibly be developed here on the more significant binding developments: for example 1933 Adolph Attenhofer - "complete fixed heel all-metal binding" and 1939 Hjalmar Hvam Saf-Ski binding]
[Sectionto be developed here on the
precursors to Alpine Racing: "long board competition" and/or what was known as "snowshoe" racing (not First Nation snowshoes) and British Continental sking approach.]
Retired Austrian school teacher
Mathias Zdarsky, like many others at the time (including famed Norwegian explorer
Roald Amundsend who became the first man to "ski" to the South Pole in 1911), was intrigued by world-renowned Norwegian explorer and
Telemark skier
Fridtjof Nansen, and his "high-risk expedition" accounts, in the 1890 German translation of Nansen's book
On Skis Across Greenland. Inspired by Nansen's skiing exploits, Zdarsky took up the sport during his retirement by importing Norwegian skis and teaching himself to ski. Incorporating ski techniques from Norway, he developed a ski technique system, known as the "Lilienfeld Method", which he outlined in his 1896 book
Lillienfeld Skilaufer Technik (originally published as
Lilienfelder Ski lauf-Technik). His key development, which led to enthusiastic embrace of skiing in the Alps, was the "stem" technique, or what is commonly known is skiing as the "snowplow" technique. This new technique enabled beginners to experience the slopes in a "slow, and controlled manner", beyond the more sophisticated and complicated Norwegian Telemark and Christiania techniques, which limited the slopes to more advanced and skillful skiers. By 1896, he was teaching his new methods to large groups of "stem skiers" in Austria.
[Sectionto be developed here Circa 1910-20ish on the "transition from ski mountaineering into alpine skiing" or racing initiated by the British and Arnold Lunn who took Norway's concept of Slalom skiing and created modern day downhill or Slalom racing.]
In 1908, expanding on the developments of this fellow countryman Zdarsky, a young Austrian ski guide by the name of
Johannes Schneider entered the scene. With respect to skiing, Johannes (also known as Hannes) is to Austrians as
Sondre Norheim and
Fridtjof Nansen is to Norwegians. By the 1920s, he'd worked to refine
Sondre Norheim's "Christiania" "stem christi" turn, along with fellow countryman
Mathias Zdarsky's "stem" or "snowplow" technique. He used these Norwegian and Austrian techniques to develop a logical system of ski instruction, a system which began with the easiest snowplow technique, then progressing through to more difficult ski skills. This system formed the basis for Schneider's formalized
Arlberg technique, which is named for his home region, and subsequently set a foundation for professional ski instruction. This system also incorporated a set of ethical standards to the profession of teaching. With this, the Arlberg technique spread and helped make skiing a popular recreational activity.
The biomechanical principles of alpine skiing were described in 1985 by Georg Kassat, professor at Münster University
Types of skiing
Many different types of skiing are popular, especially in colder climates, and many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), the
International Ski Federation (FIS), and other sporting organizations, such as the
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association in America. Skiing is most visible to the public during the
Winter Olympic Games where it's a major sport.
In skiing's traditional core regions in the snowy parts of
Scandinavia, as well as in places such as
Alaska, both recreational and competitive skiing is as likely to refer to the
cross-country variants as to the internationally
downhill variants.
Skiing techniques are difficult to master, and accordingly there are
ski schools that teach everything from the basics of turning and stopping safely to more advanced carving, racing,
mogul or "bump" skiing and newer freestyle techniques. There are two primary types of downhill skiing -- "telemark" and "alpine."
For beginning skiers learning under a trained instructor, skiing speeds are low, the terrain isn't steep and is often well-manicured, and the risks are relatively low. For extreme skiers, testing their expert abilities against ever more challenging terrain, the risks may be much higher.
Alpine skiing: The term "skiing" commonly refers to
alpine skiing where one visits a
ski resort, purchases a lift ticket, dons cold-weather clothing,
skis,
ski boots and often
ski poles, and embarks on a
chairlift,
gondola lift, or other means of mechanical uphill transport. Upon reaching the
summit, the skier disembarks from the
ski lift and travels downhill, propelled by
gravity, usually along a marked route known as a
piste, "run," "trail," or "slope". Most ski resorts use mechanical equipment to "groom," or pack down and smooth, the snow surface on certain ski trails.
Alpine skiing developed in the
Alps beginning in 1889. In
Winterthur, Switzerland,
Odd Kjelsberg may have been the first person in the Alps to try skiing. Previous to this time, the predominate Alpine winter sport had been
tobogganing.
Alpine Freestyle: This kind of skiing could be called acrobatics on skis. Alpine freestyle was pioneered by
Stein Eriksen in 1962. It developed in the 1970s into a style called
Hotdogging. More recently Alpine freestyle has evolved into the current style called
Jib skiing or
freestyle skiing, a new style of skiing that started in the late 1990s. In this type of skiing, skiers use jumps also called
kickers,or rails to do urban style aerial tricks.
Back Country Skiing: Also called Nordic touring. In the Alps where skiers can easily ski from area to area, Randonée and backcountry skiing are indistinguishable. In North America however, where chairlifts either aren't allowed or are impractical for touring, skiers typically use Nordic style equipment which is more suitable for skiing up-hill. The heels of the bindings always remain free, unlike Randoneé bindings which can be locked down.
Cross-Country Racing:
Cross-country skiing takes its name from a type of ski race that's one third up, one third down, and one third flat. The name distinguishes it from other types of ski races and competition such as downhill racing,
slalom racing, and Nordic jumping. Cross-country races can be either freestyle or classic. In freestyle racing, any technique is allowed as long as it's human powered and on skis. In a classic race, skating techniques are prohibited.
Kite skiing and para-skiing
Skiing done while being pulled or carried by a
parasail,
hangglider, or
kite.
Skiing on artificial ski slopes
Dry slope skiing is a year-round sport in countries like the
UK where the snow cover is insufficient for traditional skiing. There is a thriving race programme on British slopes.
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Military Skiing: In addition to its role in recreation and sport, skiing is also used as a means of transport by the
military, and many armies train
troops for
ski warfare. Ski troops played a key role in retaining
Finnish independence from
Russia during the
Winter War, and from
Germany during the
Lapland War, although the use of ski troops was recorded by the
Danish historian
Saxo Grammaticus in the
13th century. The sport of
Biathlon was developed from military skiing
patrols.
Nordic Jumping: Also called
ski-flying and
ski jumping. A competition in which skiers slide down a ramp called a jump and attempt to go the furthest before landing on the ground. This is done with Nordic style skis, meaning that the heels of boot and binding are detached from the ski. The skis are much longer and wider than other types of skis and jumping is typically done without ski-poles.
Nordic Skiing: Also called
Cross-country skiing.
World wide, Nordic skiing may be the most popular form of skiing since it doesn't require a specially ski area. Typically after donning appropriate clothing, the skier goes outside and skis in a local park or even on a snowy street. Nordic skiing is the oldest form of skiing and was developed in
Scandinavia as a way of traveling in the winter.
Randonnée Skiing: Randonnée is also called
off-piste,
ski mountaineering, and Alpine touring.
Randonnée skiing includes skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the
ski resort's boundaries or in the
backcountry, frequently amongst trees ("
glade skiing"), usually in pursuit of fresh fallen snow, known as
powder.
Randonnée skiers typically use Alpine style skis and boots but with bindings that can be released at the heel for easier movement on flat and uphill terrain. For traveling up-hill randonnée skiers often use skins, strips of fabric temporarily glued to the bottoms of the skis.
Skiing or snowboarding outside a
ski resort's boundaries, is known as
off-piste skiing. In most countries where skiing is popular -
France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and
Canada- this is permitted. While in the United States,
off-piste skiing isn't permitted at some resorts, in
Iran,
off-piste skiing isn't permitted at any resorts. Regulations vary by ski area; many ski resorts prohibit it outright and some simply post warning signs that skiers are leaving the patrolled ski area boundaries.
In all regions, randonnée skiing is perfectly legal, provided the skier hasn't skied from a designated ski area after buying a ticket. Some areas do allow departure from the ski area while on skis, others do not. Normally, skiing out of bounds results in loss of the lift ticket and banishment from the ski area. On the other hand, skiing in a closed area is illegal and likely to land a skier in jail. In Europe and Canada randonnée skiing and skiing out of bounds as well as off-piste skiing and departing from/returning to ski areas is generally allowed.
However, lost or overdue backcountry travellers are usually held responsible for the cost of search-and-rescue service if uninsured. Backcountry skiers traveling in steep terrain prone to avalanches are encouraged to take avalanche training, travel with other experienced people, and carry special equipment for self-rescue. It is recommended that skiers make the local ski patrol aware of where they're going if they stray off-piste in case of avalanches or bad weather that could put skiers in danger.
Ski jøring Ski jøring, also called
Euro-style mushing, is skiing while being pulled by an animal(s), typically dogs or horses, or by snowmachine.
Telemark Skiing: Telemark skiers use flexible ski boots, either leather or plastic, and don't have their heels locked to the skis. Alpine skiers use stiffer plastic, non-flexible boots and have their heels locked to the skis with releaseable bindings.
The
venue, speed and technical difficulty associated with the sport can lead to collisions, accidents,
hypothermia and other injury or illness, occasionally including death. Regional
Ski Patrol organizations, such as the National Ski Patrol in the U.S., exist as a voluntary organization to provide guidance, help, medical assistance and emergency rescue to those in need of it.
Skiing Competition
Skiing competition is organized by the
International Ski Federation, which is responsible for development of rules and scheduling of competitions worldwide in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing, nordic combined and ski jumping. Competition is managed in each country by its national association. The
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is responsible for competitive skiing in America.
Skiing for people with disabilities
Skiing for people with
disabilities became popular after
World War II with the return of injured
veterans. It is both a recreational
pastime and a
competitive sport open to those with any manner of cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Adaptations include the use of outriggers, ski tip retention devices, sit-skis like
monoskis and bi-skis, brightly colored guide bibs, ski guides, and inter-skier communication systems or audible clues for blind skiers.
Recreational skiing programs for people with disabilities exist at mountains across the globe. In the northeastern
United States, Maine Handicapped Skiing is one of the largest, operating at
Sunday River ski resort. Other New England resorts with adaptive skiing programs include:
Loon Mountain,
Waterville Valley, and
Mount Sunapee. In the western part of the United States, the National Sports Center for the Disabled at
Winter Park Resort near
Denver, Colorado attracts both first-timers and world-class
disabled athletes from
Europe,
Asia, and
North America.
Currently the
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the
International Ski Federation (FIS) sanction a number of regional, national, and international disabled skiing events, most notably a
World Cup circuit, a
Disabled Alpine Skiing World Championships, and the
Paralympic Winter Games. One of the strongest disabled programs is the U.S. Disabled Ski Team, organized by the
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and the
U.S. Ski Team.
Ski videos and movies
Otto Lang (film producer) Ski Flight, Greg Stump (director),
Warren Miller and
Dirk Collins.
Related sports
Further Information
Get more info on 'Skier'.
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