What do you know about Skiing? Before I recently did some research all I knew was that it took place on snow and that you needed two skis and some poles. Oh and that you point your skis like a pizza to slow down and french fries to speed up! Apart from that, I knew nothing! If you are in a similar position read on.
Skiing’s home is in Norway
The word ski comes from the word skíð, Norwegian for a piece of wood. I’m not sure “a piece of wood” captures the beauty of the sport but hey it’s their sport they can call it what they like.
I’d rather be a skier than a snurfer
While ski may be a strange word it is better than what people originally called snowboarding. In the beginning, snowboarding was called snurfing. This was the name thought of by the American Sherman Poppen. Let’s leave the names to the Norwegians from now on, alright Mr. Poppen?
Maybe Asia is the home of Skiing
While the word and supposed origins of skiing are in Norway some believe it all really started in Asia. Tribesmen between the countries of China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia were believed to have been doing some form of skiing much earlier. A piece of a ski was found that dates back to 8,000 years ago. The big difference between that format of skiing and the modern format is that they only use one pole as they needed the second hand to kill elk!
Sherlock Holmes Loved to Ski
Well not Sherlock Holmes exactly but Arthur Conan Doyle was the first Englishman to write about skiing. He said it took you as close to “flying as any earthbound man can”.
Ski Resort in North Korea
If you are looking for your next ski holiday why not consider North Korea? There is supposed to be at least one ski resort in North Korea at the moment. The country is not exactly a tourist haven but surely that just means the slopes won’t be too crowded.
There you have it, some of the most fun facts I could find on skiing. If you have any more fun facts please let us know in the comments below.
