Joanna James
You might have skied all your life, but have you ever taken the time to know all the curious facts about skiing? If you haven't, well then, here's a guide that will take you through it all.
This World-famous sport started in Norway. The word 'ski' actually comes from an old Norse word called 'skio' which actually means ' a wood piece'. Archaeological evidence suggests that the locals started this sport thousands of years ago. One rock carving was estimated to be back from 4000 BC. With such a history, Norway has become the best place for skiing. Besides, if you are looking for an epic destination for a skiing vacation then there are a number of places you can check out. Canada has been one of the notorious places that offer superb skiing. You can check out the Whistler mountains for an excellent expedition. If you're looking for a Whistler hotel that offers all kinds of experiences you can check out places like Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside.
Although strong evidence suggests that skiing started in Norway, the tribespeople of the Altai mountains located between Mongolia, China, Russia and Kazakhstan might have been skiing (a form of it, at least) earlier than the Scandinavians. A piece of wooden ski equipment was found in Lake Sindor of Russia and is said to be at least eight thousand years old. All of the earlier tribes of China of the Xinjiang province are said to have made skis. The made it by splitting trees and then wrapping them in horse skin which they then used to climb down slopes.
Now is the time to introduce the first snowboard which was found back in 1965 by an American called Sherman Poppen. He made this board called a snurfer for his child. He could accomplish this by obtaining to ski board and binding them together to create something which pretty much resembles a skateboard but without any wheels. And that is what he called it, the snurfer, which was a surfboard that can be used on the snow.
It might surprise you that snowboarding entered the Olympics only in the year 1998. Having said that, cross country skiing was a part of winter sports since its inception back in 1924. Only in 1936, did Alpine skiing become an Olympic sport. Snowboarding, which is quite new to winter sport, only appeared almost 20 years ago in Japan in the year 1998.
When we say driving, it isn't the F1 kind of driving but rather the day to day kind. Passenger cars have a speed that reaches around 120 miles an hour. But professional skiers who launched themselves from steep slopes can obtain maximum speed and navigate through speeds you can only dream of. The world record for the highest-speed was set by an Italian skier known as Simone and he reached the speed of 156.2 mph.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
