The History of Skiing
Author
A keen runner, skier and nuts about cycling. Karl lives in Cumbria, where he loves encouraging his two children to follow in his outdoor lifestyle. Whilst out and about keeping active, Karl keeps a diary and shares it with Outdoor Look.
Today, skis can get you moving at an astonishing speed. Just when you buy a fancy pair of skis, a new technology takes the market by storm. So, it’s really hard to keep pace with technology. Modern skis have undergone a world of change. The materials used to make skis have changed over the course of time, and the shape of the skis has also changed quite significantly. These changes have completely transformed the way we slide down the slope.
Let us take a look at the elaborate history of skis:
The last thing you'd want on your skiing trip is a pair of skis that were made more than 10,000 years ago in China, but as it turns out, that might be what you get. Someone thousands of years ago painted a drawing anonymously on the wall of a cave showcasing hunters' feet on an ancient type of ski. Admittedly, they were chasing animals, but that's even worse. The Russians and Scandinavians were the first ones to use skis for transport, and Norwegian hunters and farmers used skis throughout the medieval era.
The 1850s and the innovations taking place in Norway
Woodcarvers in Norway are believed to have built the first bow-shaped cambered skis. This means they curved upward underfoot to allow for easier maneuverability. Modern historians believe it was a man from Norway named Sondre Norheim who built the first binding with a heel strap, as well as the original Telemark Ski. It was around 8 feet long and was made using pine wood.
The 1900s and the introduction of metal edges:
In 1926, an Austrian skier named Rudolf Lettner developed the first ski with metal edges after an accident nearly killed him. It took him a decade to figure out how to attach the metal edges to his wooden skis. The metal edges made skis stiffer and less likely to break under pressure.
Then in 1928, a Swiss skier named Guido Reuge invented the Kandahar cable binding coupled with a coiled spring that ensured greater control. The only demerit was that the binding didn’t release when a skier fell.
From the 1950s to the early 1970s: The invention of the fiberglass skis
Fred Langendorf and Art Molnar invented a fiberglass ski in Montreal under the brand name Toni Sailer. Throughout the mid-1960s, fiberglass was replacing wood and aluminum as the main material in skis. Then in 1965, a surfer named Sherman Poppen built a surfboard for snow made out of two kids’ skis stuck together, and called it a Snurfer. A decade later, a 23-year-old bloke in Vermont named Jake Burton Carpenter built a single plywood board with no metal edges, introducing the world to a brand new sport: snowboarding.
The early 21st century and further innovations
Visionary skier Shane McConkey worked with Volant engineer Peter Turner to make the Spatula, the first ski with reverse sidecut and reverse camber, inspired by the shape of water skis. This was in 2001. In 2008, the S7 skis were introduced, which blended rocker and reverse sidecut, and took rockered skis mainstream. They became the first rockered skis that could also handle run-outs on hard packed snow.
What’s in store?
We’re unlikely to witness a significant innovation as far as the design of skis is concerned. The future will likely be focused on developing stronger, lighter materials to give skiers more freedom of movement and a lesser load to carry. Carbon fibre is already a step in this direction, but who knows what the future will bring.
Author
A keen runner, skier and nuts about cycling. Karl lives in Cumbria, where he loves encouraging his two children to follow in his outdoor lifestyle. Whilst out and about keeping active, Karl keeps a diary and shares it with Outdoor Look.
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