How Did Skiing Begin?

You may think that skiing is a modern sport, but it is actually one of the oldest forms of travel known to man! The word itself comes from the Icelandic word scidh, which means "snowshoe" or "piece of wood".
Some historians claim that skiing goes back to the Stone Age, and they found ancient carvings which show people on skis. Long before Christianity appeared, the ancient Lapps were known in Scandinavia as Skrid-Finnen, or "sliders". They even had a goddess of ski, and their winter god was shown on a pair of skis with curved toes!
There is record with curved frames, often made of the bones of animals, and held to the foot by thongs. And there is a picture carved on stone that is 900 years old that shows a ski runner.
Skiing as a sport began in Norway, in the province of Telcmark. In fact, the town of Morgedal in this Norwegian province is known as "the cradle of skiing". Because this region would be snowbound for long periods at a time, it was necessary to use skis to get about. In winter, when the natives went hunting or trapping in the mountains, or to neighboring villages to market or to visit, they had to depend on skis.
And if you think skiing meets arc a modern development, it may surprise you to know that in Norway they were having skiing competitions for prizes as long ago as 1767.