Party On White Powder: Ski
A brief introduction to snow skiing, including origins, types of skiing, tips for beginners, and safety considerations.
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Party On White Powder: Ski
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Archaeologists have uncovered a 7000 year old Norwegian cave painting with an image of a skier, but no one knows when human beings started to ski. The oldest piece of gear ever found is just a bit more recent, a lone ski discovered in Sweden. So there’s little doubt what part of the world the sport began in.
There is something about skiing that doesn’t suggest it required a` genius to invent it. Just trying to walk through two feet of snow ought to suggest there must be a better way. The word, “ski, ” comes from an Old Norse word that meant split wood. A couple of the lesser Norse Gods were skiers themselves.
There are two general kinds of skiing, Alpine and Nordic. Nordic is in turn broken down in cross-country and Telemark. Telemark is the style that emerged at the beginning of skiing’s turn toward being an international sporting, in 1869. In it, the heel of the skier’s boot is detached, able to lift off freely. This makes it possible for the skier to kneel on one knee during turns. Telemark lost favor just before the Second World War, but came back into vogue due to the enthusiasm of antiquarians.
The more popular alpine skiing has 4 types. Slalom has the highest density of turns, followed in descending order by giant slalom, then super giant slalom, and finally downhill skiing, which is as close to a straight line one can get without being jumping. In Alpine, the heel is fixed in place, demanding a more subtle kind of cutting. When the average person thinks of skiing, it’s likely that alpine is what they have in mind.
Beginners take some time to make that transition from walking on their feet to moving on skis, but those who are at least a little bit coordinated make the adjustment without any difficulty. To hold your position on the slope, simply hold your skis perpendicular. That might identify you as a complete beginner, though. The way real skiers do it is to touch the front tips, making a triangle.
To actually begin skiing, just point those tips downhill. Move them both together, as though they were one. Avoid standing up too straight while in motion, and certainly avoid leaning back. Doing this will only make the skis slip out from under you. Lean forward!
In order to turn, transfer your body weight in whatever direction you’d like to turn. Edge the skis to carve in that direction. Whenever and wherever you want to apply pressure, simply press down. To relieve pressure, stand up. The most active part of your body should be your knees, ankles and feet. If on powder, the part that presses should be your thighs. Try to keep your body light, and if possible, think with your feet.
Skiing is a much safer sport than it’s made out to be. The odds are a million to one against getting killed out there, with about 40 fatalities annually. That’s about the number of people who get killed by lightning strikes. Most injuries are to the lower legs. Only 10% of them come from collisions. More typical is people get caught on lifts and other such nonsense. Enjoy yourself on the “bunny slope” and learn how to ski.
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