winter landscape

Description: It was not long before Man worked out how to move quickly through deep snow in the wilder parts of the world, as paintings discovered in the 1930s clearly portray. On the ancient artefacts, which were found in Russia and are thought to be at least 6000 years old, a hunter on rudimentary skis is clearly identifiable alongside reindeers. It is... ( +expand to view full text )

Description: It was not long before Man worked out how to move quickly through deep snow in the wilder parts of the world, as paintings discovered in the 1930s clearly portray. On the ancient artefacts, which were found in Russia and are thought to be at least 6000 years old, a hunter on rudimentary skis is clearly identifiable alongside reindeers. It is virtually certain that a form of skiing has been an integral part of life in colder countries since that time.

Obviously the principal use of skis until recently was for the transportation of goods and people or for the swift movement of soldiers patrolling remote, icy borders. Horses were clearly not much use in three metres of snow, so other methods had to be developed and skis quickly became as natural an accoutrement of everyday life as hats and gloves.

The Olympic Winter Games present five disciplines of Skiing: Alpine, Cross Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle as well as Snowboarding. To compete in these various disciplines one needs to master speed, endurance, dexterity, and determination.