Skiing began, not as the exciting sport that we know and love today, but as a way of life, a necessity, a tool for survival. No one can tell how skiing actually came into existence, but through studying history and ancient skis that have been unearthed in various places, we can conclude that skiing was a vital means of transportation and was used for work, hunting and exploring. Wooden skis ranging from an estimated 2,500 to 5,000 years old have been found in Scandinavia with the oldest known ski being a wide, short ski found in Sweden that has been shown to be over 4500 years. In Southern Greenland an 85cm-long piece of wood was discovered in 1997 and it has been determined to be about over a thousand years old and was probably brought over by Norsemen. A rock carving of a skier, found on a Norwegian island has been dated as being over 4,000 years old. Other rock paintings and skis found in bogs indicate that hunters and trappers used skis at least 5000 years ago. Even before that it is believed that skis were made from the bones of large animals and were attached to the boots using leather strips or thongs.

Skiing later became an important tool for warfare as is largely seen in Scaninavian History. By the 18th century, units of the Swedish Army trained and competed on skis. Skis were used by Norwegian scouts to spy on enemies and later led to the implementation of a Norwegian military Ski company. Regular ski drills became commonplace and this has been said to be where the first use of leather straps around the heel, in combination with the toe-strap, came into existence to keep the ski from falling off when skiing downhill. Finland troops used Ski patrols to resist Russian intruders during World War II and in 1945, U.S. army Ski troops fought Germans in the mountains of Italy.

Skiing in America is barely over a century old but skiing was introduced into Central Europe as early as the close of the 16th cent. Skis were used by Scandinavians during the Middle Ages. Skiing was so popular with the Vikings that they worshipped Ull and Skade, their own named god and goddess of skiing. In the US, it is debated whether natives taught the Americans to ski or whether skiing was introduced by Norwegian gold miners. Skiing began to gain more and more popularity as time went by and became a sport and favorite pastime instead of a necessity and tool of warfare. The first U.S. ski club was formed in 1872, and the National Ski Association began in 1904. Later, in 1924 the Fédération Internationale de Ski was formed, and then skiing became part of the first Winter Olympics. Skiing enjoyed great popularity in the United States as a recreational sport from the start of the 1930s and was encouraged to grow by the development of ski tows and lifts. The implementation of snowmaking machines and televised broadcasts of ski competitions have also been a great contribution to the sport's growth.


As skiing began to change from a way of life to a recreational activity, it began to expand the type of terrain used to include more challenging conditions. The techniques used in the past were not adequate and neither was the equipment. Skiing evolution began which led to what we now know as Alpine Skiing. This type of skiing used a boot mounted to the ski at the toe and the heel, which gave more control to the skier. Skiing and techniques have changed greatly through the course of time and are still changing today. The range of snow sports available to day is widely varied but can all be traced back to a humble and necessary beginning. So the next time you hit the slopes, whether it is to ski or snowboard, snowshoe or mountaineering, take a minute to think about the history of the sport and enjoy it even more knowing you have the freedom to ski because you want to, not because you have to.

Ski Safe, Play Safe, Stay Safe.