Ever wondered where the oldest ski was found; or just long ago people first stated strapping pieces of wood to their feet to travel over snow? What about the origin of the slopeside onesie; or the origin of the first quick release ski binding?
If these and other fascinating facts about the origins or our beloved snowsport have been missing from your après bar chat, then seek now more – those nice people at French ski holiday company Club Med have collected the answers to these and many other questions in a blog titled The Evolution of Skiing.
Did you know, for example, that the origins of European skiing can be traced all the way back over 4,000 years to the Stone Age, with the oldest pair of skis found in a Swedish peat bog? And in China there is a rock carving of skiing hunter thought to date back over 10,000 years!
Club Med’s history blog details the skiing journey from those pre-history origins, through 13th Century Norway, the ski battalions of both World Wars, to those irrepressible English Victorians who practically invented Alpine sport.
Also detailed is the evolution of ski fashion, from the sensible, subdued woollens of the 1800s to the moonboots of the 70s, onesies of the 90s and fastidious technical layering of the modern era.
Evolutions in ski technology are covered too, from the early leg-breaking ‘safety’ ski bindings to the first pressure-release systems of the mid-50s, and from hardwood skis to modern fibre-glass skis and the invention of the snowboard.
Club Med’s history lesson continues through the origins and development of snow sport, with the first Winter Olympics in 1924 to ski tourism and the building of the first Club Med ski resort, which was built in Leysin Switzerland in 1956.
Still hungry for more ski history knowledge? Then check out the blog yourself
