The Birthplace of Skiing
Ski Norway
Ten
Reasons to Ski Norway
The
Birthplace of Skiing
Ski Resorts in Norway
It all began in Telemark - with woven willow bindings
with heel fastenings and skiing with inner turns,
Sondre Norheim originated the modern sport of skiing.
With his daring skiing competitions, ski jumps
and Telemark swings in Morgedal valley, Sondre
taught the whole world to ski.
It’s said about Norwegians that they are
born with skis on. And for centuries, people’s
lives in this country have been closely related
to skiing – first as means of transportation – then,
from the last part of the 19th century, as a leisure
and sports activity. Later Norwegian students and
emigrants introduced skiing at the European continent,
the USA and in other countries. Skiing is Norway’s
national sport.
Skiing in Norway
In a country with long distances between the
small, isolated communities and hard, snowy
winters, skiing became important as means of
keeping in social contact with each other.
Also the use of skis was important for the
hunter and the farmer, who spent mornings going
far into the forests, returning with game and
firewood in the afternoons.
There are reports about the use of skis among
soldiers as far back in time as the Middle Ages.
Companies of ski troops were formed around 1750.
And the very first skiing competitions were held
in the military in 1767.
Skiing as Recreation
March 21, 1843, the world’s first public announced, non-military skiing
competition was held in Tromsø, Northern Norway. In the years to come,
the interest in using skis as a recreation activity excelled. Skiing competitions
were held in different parts of the country, among them Trondheim and Trysil.
One area where skiing became a real popular leisure
activity, was the district of Telemark, Southern
Norway. In the small rural communities, many of
them located in deep valleys, conditions were excellent
for having fun on skis.
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