Who invented skiing?

Answer

Skiing has been around a long time -- a lot longer than you might think. In Sweden, scientists found some skis that are 4,500 years old!

Cave drawings show skiers that are even older. Way back then, skiing wasn't supposed to be fun. People used skis for getting around or hunting in the snow.

Skiing didn�t become a sport until the 1700s, when people from Telemark, Norway, figured out a way to turn their skis while going downhill. That�s where �telemark skiing� came from! About 160 years ago, Scandanavians (people from Sweden, Norway and Denmark) moved to America and brought their skis with them. They began settling in the upper Midwest.

In the Sierra and Rocky Mountains, trappers and gold miners used really long skis. They called skis �Norweigian snowshowes.� Their skis were 8 to 14 feet long and weighed 25 pounds. (YOW!)

Skis today are exactly like these old skis -- except that the new ones are better, lighter, shorter, stronger, safer and faster.

Many ski towns have ski museums. Visit a ski museum to see some cool old stuff. And speaking of cool old stuff... here�s a cave drawing picture of skiing. It�s the oldest image of skiing in the world, thousands of years old!

Although skiing probably evolved gradually from snowshoeing, Norwegian Sondre Norheim is often called the "father of modern skiing". In the 19th century, Sondre Norheim invented bindings that enabled the skier to do turns while skiing down hills. This form of skiing was called Slalom (sla l�m, Norwegian dialect expression for a difficult track) by Norheim and his contemporaries. This form of skiing is now referred to as Telemark or Telemark skiing. Skiing originally was a practical activity that resembled today's Nordic, or cross-country, style.

The invention of firmer bindings to attach the skier's feet to the ski, likely by Austrian Matthias Zdarsky, enabled the skier to turn more effectively and led to the development of Alpine, or Downhill, skiing.

Shortly thereafter, in the early 20th century, Austrian Hannes Schneider pioneered the idea of rotating the body to help steer the skis. Soon this Arlberg technique, named for his home region, spread around the world and helped make skiing a popular recreational sport.

First answer by Ranger22. Last edit by Scoobertt78. Contributor trust: 2 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 66 [recommend question]