Exploring the History and Evolution of the Art of Skiing Across Generations

Dive into the evolution of skiing from 8000 B.C. through today.

Ski-Training Arthurhaus, 1940 / Austrian National Library on Unsplash

Skiing is a sport that has been around for thousands of years—over 8,000 to be a little more precise; but who came up with the idea of sliding down a hill on two sticks in the first place? And how did it go from a form of transportation to a high stakes sport as well as a worldwide recreational activity?

Pre-Historic

Let's take it back to the very beginning. The very first record of skiing dates back to 8000-6000 B.C. with the oldest set of skis having been discovered near Lake Sindor in Russia. Although rock paintings date skis to prehistoric times, the invention was mainly used to get from point A to point B in a more efficient way in the winter months. The first community said to use skis regularly were ancestors of the Sami, natives of Scandanavia.

Birkenbeiner Brothers / Birkenbeiner Website

One of the most famous accounts in the backcountry skiing community is that of Norwegian military skiers, the Birkebeiners carrying the King's two-year-old heir, Haakon Haakonson over the Dovre Mountains to safety during the Civil War in 1206 A.D. In fact, the famous Birkebeiner race has traditionally continued along the same route from Rena to Lillehammer since 1932.

1600s - 1700s

Fast forward a few centuries to the 16 and 1700s when accounts of skiing being to show up in published works such as Die Ehres des Herzogtumes Krain by Austrian Valasavor, and the use of skis was implemented in the Great Northern War between Russia, Sweden, and Norway.

Recreational use of skis, however, did not emerge until the late 1700s, early 1800s in Norway, when honing the skill of turning to control speed became popular. This change in skiing dynamics opened up the world of alpine skiing and led to the invention of the cambered ski. The cambered ski allowed for more distribution of weight due to the concave nature in the middle of the ski. The invention was also lighter and thinner, improving shock absorption and made for a better, smoother ride.

1800s

As the 19th century came and went, the art of skiing underwent a series of changes, spread across the world and evolved into an organized sport with ski clubs flourishing across Europe and North America. In the 1880s, hickory wood, imported from the United States to Norway, produced the first hickory skis, which were lighter, thinner and more flexible. And in the 1890s, two-layer laminated skis made their debut, which in turn, decreased the cost of production. However the glue wasn't waterproof, so the lamination did not last long on the slopes.

1900s

The early 1900s brought about the U.S. Ski Association (USSA), which is the governing body of Olympic snowsports, and in 1924 the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) was founded, which led to Nordic events being held during the very first Olympic Winter Games held in Chamonix, France. Additionally, the very first chairlift would be invented and installed in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1936.

Because of the Winter Olympics debut, the ski industry became more and more popular and more and more modifications were made to increase durability, speed and flexibility. The first Aluminum ski began its development in the late 1920s and by 1932, the first successful three-layer laminated skis were released to the public. The first of the skis were marketed under the Norwegian label, Splitkein, and the U.S. label, Anderson & Thompson. The improvement of the milk protein-based glue that fused the layers together made it possible for skis to last longer; however, it wasn't until R.E.D Clark of Cambridge, England created the first formaldehyde-based adhesive Aerolite (originally developed to hold airplanes together), that the ski industry really took off.

Lady on Skis, 1940s / Austrian National Library on Unsplash

From 1940 to 1950, laminated skis underwent a series of improvements. Several of which include adding a cellulose plastic base to go on Dynamic skis; the aluminum ski being manufactured for the first time (aluminum laminate with a wood core); Howard Head pressure bonding an aluminum ski with plywood and plastic side-walls, revolutionizing the metal and plastic game; the first polyehtelene base being introduced in Austria, eliminating the need for wax; and the first successful fiberglass ski being invented in 1959 by Fred Langeford and Art Molnar.

By the time the early 2000s rolled around, the focus of skiing went from revolutionizing the materials to spreading the word of the sport. In 1967 the World Cup of ski racing was created by the U.S. Ski Team Coach, Bob Beattie, French Ski Team Coach Honore Bonnet and French journalist Serge Lang. By the 80s, skiing became the primary industry in remote mountain towns of the Western and Northeastern United States, and filmakers such as Warren Miller pioneered the distribution of ski films which dramatically increased the growth of ski vacationers and adventurers.

2000s - Now

Though the love for skiing started to spread worldwide, the ski industry was far from done with improving the performance of even the most advanced skis. the 90s saw the revolution of the shaped ski and the fat, wide powder ski was introduced in the early 2000s. Because of the fat ski, backcountry skiing took off in a massive explosion of powder and the obsession of finding untracked, fluffy, white snow hasn't let up since.

Buried / Alex Lange on Unsplash

As each season passes, ski fanatics and powder hounds alike continuosly find better and better ways to improve the performance of the sport of skiing. Whether it be poles, boots, bindings or the skis themselves, the world of improvement is still moving forward and it won't be long before there isn't a mountain left that a ski hasn't touched.