A blanket of white surrounds the men. From atop the high ridge, they spot a lone deer in the distance. The snow inhibits its progression. The men do not need to worry it escaping. Their families will eat well tonight. Using a new invention that they call skis, they quickly overtake the deer. They are able to stay on top of the snow. They quickly slay the deer, and then begin their long trek back to their families. Climbing back over the ridge was no problem, as their skis did not slide backwards, no matter how steep it got. These men did not need to worry about providing food for their families. They could easily cover great distances using long thin wooden planks that became known as skis. Those ancient skis were not like the skis we know. They were much longer and wider, meant for staying on top of the snow. They only used one pole instead of two, the one pole meant for pushing themselves along. They did not use the skis for fun or play. They used the skis for work and transportation. Skis were a great display of ancient ingenuity and inventiveness. Because of those ancient people’s need to move through the snow, skis were created in either Scandinavia or the Atlai region and became an important tool to survive in their winters.
Archeologists have found lots of evidence that skis were used very early on in the history of the world. They are not sure where exactly skis were first created but they have two possible areas where skis might have been originally created. See figure 1. From 1897 until today about 250 pieces of skis and some poles have been dug up, mostly in bogs, in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. They range in age from about 6000 BC to 600 AD. The Chinese are claiming that pictographs [of sk...
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... months. The creation of ancient skis must have been a long and hard process, many people probably died in the cold winters before the skis were created. We have much to thank them for.
Works Cited
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Rider, Freedom. "The Progression of an Obsession: Ski History 4,000 B.C. - 1930 | UNITED STATES, CALIFORNIA | 02/20/2009, by Freedom Rider." Skiing The Backcountry.com. N.p., 20 Feb. 2009. Web. 19 Dec. 2013
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A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
Yochim, Michael. “The Development of Snowmobile Policy in Yellowstone National Park.” N.P. Web. 4 March 2014.
Iron skates were first introduced in 200 A.D. Though this was a slight improvement over the previous gear, iron skates did not replace bone skates leaving bone skates the predominant mode of transportation over ice throughout the Middle Ages. The iron remained unsharpened which required the skater to employee the use of poles to push themselves across the ice. The skater could not maintain any sort of forward motion. This development left much to be...
After a great night of sleep we headed out to the world renown mountain of Jackson Hole. It is known for being the steepest mountain on which a ski resort is set up. It is also know for having a great view of Grand Teton, one of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains. We could not have asked for a better day of riding. there was a fresh 14” of snow under our boards and after a little bit of exploring we found some great out of bounds and woods riding.
Sport Obermeyer, was founded in 1947 by Klaus Obermeyer. Klaus Obermeyer, a German immigrant began teaching at the Aspen Ski School in 1947. During his time teaching, he observed his students being unprotect...
"Fédération Internationale De Gymnastique : History of Trampoline Gymnastics." Fédération Internationale De Gymnastique : History of Trampoline Gymnastics. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
Pieter and I were determined to become proficient water skiers, while Rhea had knee issues that limited her participation. The Gibson Girl only had a forty horsepower motor, which wasn’t sufficient power for faster skiing or for doing tricks like skiing barefoot. I remember using the Comfort for some of our skiing before Dad traded the outboard for a sixteen-foot Gar Wood Junior, which had an inboard motor and more power. Pieter and I spent hours practicing the basics of getting up efficiently, skiing across the wake and then jumping the wake. It wasn’t long before we developed a passion for mastering slalom skiing. I wanted to ski all the time during that period.
5) Ramond, M. Observations on the Glaciers. From website by Miall, David. Romantic Travellers. Course Home Page. January 2005-May 2005. Dept. of English, University of Alberta. March 26, 2005. http://www.ualberta.ca/~dmiall/Travel/Glaciers.htm
Cross-country skiing is as much of a competitive sport, as it is a back country one. Cross-country skiing is enjoyed by people of all ages, and can be relatively inexpensive. There is no need for lift tickets and with a little maintenance equipment can last for decades. As a result of its broad audience, many people don't realize that physics plays a large role in cross-country skiing. This web page was designed to briefly describe some of the concepts behind the physics of skiing, and give a basic understanding of both the sport and the science.
Interestingly enough, snowboarding was invented by Sherman Poppen in North Muskegon, Michigan, back in 1965. Nowadays, snowboarding is considered one of the most popular winter sports among teenagers. On the other hand, there are many people that don’t have the slightest idea how to ride a snowboard straight down a hill. There are four steps to learn the basic skills of snowboarding.
I was the first person to ski off of the chairlift that day; arriving at the summit of the Blackcomb Mountain, nestled in the heart of Whistler, Canada. It was the type of day when the clouds seemed to blanket the sky, leaving no clue that the sun, with its powerful light, even existed anymore. It was not snowing, but judging by the moist, musty, stale scent in the air, I realized it would be only a short time before the white flakes overtook the mountain. As I prepared myself to make the first run, I took a moment to appreciate my surroundings. Somehow things seemed much different up here. The wind, nonexistent at the bottom, began to gust. Its cold bite found my nose and froze my toes. Its quick and sudden swirling movement kicked loose snow into my face, forcing me to zip my jacket over my chin. It is strange how the gray clouds, which seemed so far above me at the bottom, really did not appear that high anymore. As I gazed out over the landscape, the city below seemed unrecognizable. The enormous buildings which I had driven past earlier looked like dollhouses a child migh...
Hollingsworth, Bob. "New England Skiing Belies Its Old Image." Chicago Tribune. N.p., 15 Nov. 1987. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
Thin air encompasses me as I commence the final day of skiing at Vail, Colorado. Seven days of skiing elapse rather painlessly; I fall occasionally but an evening in the Jacuzzi soothes my minor aches. Closing time approaches on the final day of our trip as I prepare myself for the final run of the vacation. Fresh off the ski lift, I coast toward the junction of trails on the unoccupied expert face of the mountain. After a moment of thought, I confidently select a narrow trail so steep that only the entrance can be seen from my viewpoint.
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...