Research work "history of skiing". The history of the appearance of skis The history of the creation of skis briefly

1. Teacher: The most exciting, affordable, popular winter recreation is skiing. Skiing helps in study and work, brings us closer to nature, makes us spiritually richer and more moral. Those who are friends with the ski track are distinguished by good health, vigor, strength and endurance; they are spared colds and other diseases. The skier's body is being hardened.
In ski lessons you will encounter such concepts as skis, skier and ski track.

Skis - These are flat wooden runners for walking on snow.

skier called someone who walks and cross-countries.

Ski track – This is a trace left on the snow by skiers, forming a special path along which the skier moves.

– Let's turn to history and find out how skis appeared. Skis are a very ancient invention. The first skis appeared long ago among northern hunters. Winters in the North are long and snowy. Therefore, hunters often had to hunt in deep and loose snow. Falling into the snowdrifts, they could not catch up with the strong and hardy animals. Very often they had to return home without loot. Such failures turned into a tragedy for people. But one day the hunter accidentally stepped on a large piece of tree bark lying in the snow, which held him in the snow. The hunter remembered this incident and, in order not to fall into the snow, began to think about how to secure a piece of bark to his shoes.
The most ancient skis were “big soles” - wooden planks tied to the legs. It was possible to walk on them in deep snow without falling through.
Then the design was improved by pulling a flexible branch into an oval and tightening it with a rawhide belt or a flexible vine. These skis were much lighter and more comfortable than clumsy wooden snowshoes.
However, for better gliding, it was not “big soles” that were suitable, but long narrow boards. Soon they began to cover them with animal skins, so that the pile was directed towards the rear ends of the skis. The ski slid forward very easily, but the pile slowed down backwards. In the end, it turned out that you can move quickly in the snow simply on pieces of wood, you just need to bend their front ends up and take a stick to push off when walking.
In addition to hunting, skis can be used in everyday life, in the army, during holidays and winter fun, where strength, agility, and endurance were demonstrated in “race” running and in descents from the slopes.

Physical education lesson No. 1

Gradually, entertainment turned into sports. In 1767, the first competitions in all types of skiing were held.

You can move around on skis in different ways. When climbing uphill, a stepping step is used, and when moving on the plain, a sliding step is used.

Let's look at each method of transportation in more detail.

stepping step- the easiest way to travel. The legs are rearranged as when walking.

Sliding step - the fastest way to travel. Pushing off from the snow with one ski, the skier glides onto the other. While sliding, he brings the first ski forward and steps on the snow with it, and pushes off with the second. The skier's arms work in the same way as when running.

Descent from the mountain- This is sliding down a mountain while standing on skis. To perform the descent correctly, you need to bend your legs slightly at the knees and tilt your torso slightly forward. Bend your arms slightly at the elbows and bring them forward slightly.
Ski lessons will bring a lot of joy and pleasure if you prepare for them correctly. To do this, you need to choose sportswear, shoes and skis.

Cloth - knitted T-shirt and pants (tights), warm sweater, bologna pants, sports jacket, cotton and wool socks. Fur-lined leather or wool mittens are put on your hands. You should not use gloves - you can freeze your fingers. On the head is a woolen cap that covers the ears. Ushanka hats will not work.

Shoes - Can be leather or felted, but always loose. So you can wear two pairs of socks.

Skis - selected according to the height of the skier. Ski bindings can be soft, matched to shoes, or hard.

Physical education lesson No. 2

During ski lessons you must follow safety precautions:

Students who have undergone a medical examination and safety instructions are allowed to attend lessons;
Clothing is selected depending on the air temperature. Classes are held up to – 12°
check the serviceability of ski equipment, pay special attention to the fastening;
movement to the place of training is carried out with skis in hand. When moving, they are carried on the shoulder or armpit. Unauthorized departure from service and independent skating is strictly prohibited;
following a friend along the track, maintain an interval of 3-4 meters, and when descending from the mountain - at least 30 meters;
if you catch up with a friend, do not step on his skis, but ask him to clear the track or overtake him;
when descending from a mountain, do not stop at its foot, as a skier descending behind you may run into you;
in case of a forced fall, it is safer to fall on your side;
In cold weather, take care of your health. If you notice whitening of the skin, place a warm palm on the frostbitten area.

A ski relay race is traditionally held in city competitions among primary schools. Students from our school took 2nd place. I hope you will love skiing and compete in these competitions, but with the best results.
The student reads the poem “Skiing”.

2. Go to the hall

3. Construction

4. Set of exercises “Exercise for a skier”

– walking in place with arm swings;
– legs in a standing position, springy half-squats apart with different positions of the arms;
– bending the body to the sides, forward, backward, hands on the belt;
– circular movements of the arms forward, then back;
– alternate lunges forward, arms to the sides;
– jumping with changing legs from a lunge with opposite movements of the arms.

5. Rules of outdoor games: don’t shout, don’t push, we see where we’re running.

6. Game “Two Frosts”

We are two young brothers.
Two Frosts are daring.
I am Frost the Red Nose,
I am Frost the Blue Nose
Which one of you will decide
On the road - set off on the path.
We are not afraid of threats
And we are not afraid of frost

It has not yet been possible to find out exactly which country and from what time can be considered the birthplace of skiing (well, at least definitely not African countries). This question is of great interest to people not only in those regions where the use of skis was a necessity and became a tradition, but also in many others, where the “sport of sports” (that is, skiing) has spread so much over the past 20-30 years that it has barely become perhaps not the most favorite winter sport. Nansen, in his book “Skiing across Greenland” (1890), tried to comprehensively cover this issue. Based on his own and other people’s research, he comes to the conclusion that skiing was first spread by the peoples of the outskirts of the Altai Mountains and Lake Baikal in Asia. Skis came to us from Norway via Finland, and the Norwegians and Swedes must have learned to ski from the Laplanders.

But Nansen, based on his research, came to the conclusion that it was the Siberian tribes who spread skiing to the east, west and north. It is possible that skiing began simultaneously in different places in these vast northern spaces.

Peoples, in their struggle against nature, also had to defend themselves against snow. Concern for facilitating communications (especially when the invention of the Internet is still tens of thousands of years away) and subsistence by hunting prompted man to invent something that would make it possible not only to stay on the surface of the snow, but also to move along it. This is how the so-called “trugen”, the ancestor of the current snow rocket, arose. The North American Indians did not yet know anything about skiing, and the Trugen was already very widespread among them. But Nansen claims that even in those distant times the Indians used very narrow devices, a kind of real skis.

These “trugen” devices were tied to the legs so as not to sink in the snow. They were of different shapes and made of different materials. historian Xenophon, around 400 BC e. learned from the inhabitants of the mountains of Armenia to tie horse hooves with furs. Strabo in 20 BC e tells how the inhabitants of the Caucasus tied leather soles to their feet in winter, in which sometimes they were driven. Another author talks about a device made of wood, very similar to the Norwegian Trugen.

The need to move over long distances on snow led to the invention of skis. They developed slowly, starting from the round shape of the trugen, then turning into an oval shape, and then each time longer, until they reached the modern shape. To prevent the trugen from falling into the snow when walking, they began to bend it slightly upward from the front. From here there was only one more step to “trugen skis”, lined with leather, used in central Siberia.

Nansen believes that this transition from Trugen to skiing took place in the Altai Mountains. The only question is when exactly? Of course, this happened a long time ago. In Siberia the skis are still in almost their original form. Olsen tells in one letter to Nansen that some peoples of Siberia and Finland have long used short but wide skis lined with leather.

With the migration of peoples, skis came to the inhabitants of the Scandinavian Peninsula from the east. Here is what the ancient legend tells about the Scandinavian ancestor Nora: “He waited with his tribe in Kvenlandi (Finland) until the snow became suitable for skiing, then, going around the Baltic Sea to the north, they went down through Norway to Trendeljagen, where they settled.” .

Only one thing is unclear. Having borrowed skis from the Laplanders, the Norwegians took the name for them neither from them nor from the Finns. Philological research diverges from historical research here. The Norwegians have the name “ski” and “aandar”, the Swedes “skid” and “andor”, where there is nothing Laplandish. Laplanders have the names “savek” (skis lined with leather and wool) and “golyas” (long, unlined). The Finns have several names: giden, suks, liliy, kalku, etc. They also have nothing in common with the name in Lithuanian (“luskes”) or in Russian (“skis”).

And no matter where skis in Norway came from the north, east, or even south, or originated there on their own, they are at least a couple of thousand years old.

Skis are even mentioned in Norse mythology. Ultz, god of winter, snow and hunting, appears on skis, well dressed in white, shiny snow with a red face and frost around his lips. In one poem from 980 Odin is also called the god of skis. There is also a ski goddess.

Residents of northern Scandinavia in the 6th century. The Laplanders were called “skridfinner”, that is, “Finns moving on the snow.” The Norwegians generally considered the Laplanders to be primitive skiers. Queen Gungilda, who was raised by two Laplanders (circa 920), speaks of them this way: “The Laplanders are such good skiers that neither animals nor people can hide before them.” One collection of Icelandic laws from 1250 states, among other things: “The criminal must be driven as far as a Finnish man can run on skis.” Norwegian history (1200) tells about the Laplanders: “... when they move from place to place, they place smooth wooden branches under their feet, with which they cross mountains and valleys faster than the birds of the air fly.”

The chronicler Saxo (also around 1200) narrates: “The Laplanders run hunting through the mountains covered with snow, on pieces of wood bent in front.” The historian Storm believes that in Norway the use of skis became widespread already in the 10th century. Frequent mentions of skiing in various poems of that time definitely indicate that even then skiing was generally known.

Olaf Trygveson (995-1000) was then the best skier. And ancient folk songs mention medieval ski races. Today's skiers do not want to believe that one skier in the year 1000 rode with two people who stood on the tails of his skis as easily and well as if they were not there. Skis were also used for mail

For some time, the skiing business has been declining in Norway, which was previously the pride of outstanding people. But in subsequent centuries, skis were used almost exclusively for communication between cities and they became necessary again. In 1784, Rev. Smith declared that skiing was indispensable in his parish. In addition, hunters began to use skis, mainly those who caught wild animals with lassos. But skiing as a sport appeared around 1870, and immediately became the national sport of the Norwegians.

Since the beginning of the 18th century. skiing is starting to gain more and more importance again. Around this same time, the first separate ski troops were created. When leaving home, the skiers had: 1 pair of skis with one pole, 1 pair of rough, long stockings, one calfskin backpack. In addition, every five people had a leather fur for food, and every ten had a sled with skis, which they harnessed, and a hand ax. In the barracks, everyone received shoes designed specifically for skiing.

Skiers from the southern part of the region used narrow and long skis made from bark trees, and in the northern mountainous regions - skis made from birch. During severe frosts, yoke skis broke much faster than birch skis. Knitting was made from birch branches cut in July, which were very hardy.

On Sundays there were meetings near churches, where people came from distant outskirts and stayed for four days to make their own skis and look at ski competitions. The competition was limited to driving along the side of the road (maybe with a jump). The races lasted no longer than 15 minutes. These Sunday meetings contributed a lot to the spread of skiing among the people. Using skis eliminated the monotony of winter and maintained courage and good mood. In the battles of 1808, Norwegian skiers distinguished themselves very well, bringing invaluable benefits to their army.

But within a few years after the war, skiing began to fade away again. Military ski departments disappeared completely, and former competitions and awards distribution fell into disrepair. Skiing has only been delayed in some areas. But in 1861, the “Central Society” was founded, which made every effort to revive skiing again, did strong propaganda in the region, and in 1863 sent images with various models of skis everywhere. And there was no need to wait long for the consequences. Already in 1865, skiing was resumed in many places, even where it had been completely forgotten for a long time. In 1866, the first skiers' society was founded. In 1867, the first major competitions took place with the distribution of awards. This was the first time the desire was expressed for skiing to become a Norwegian national sport.

In 1877, prominent people founded the Christiania Ski Club. Two years later this club organized the first major competitions, combined with a very rich and interesting ski exhibition. Skiers from the vicinity of Telemarku came to these competitions for the first time. They made a very good impression by skiing the entire length of Norway.

In the 20th century, the active development of skiing continued, and how can one not remember the brave Finnish partisan skiers, who caused a lot of trouble to the Bolshevik occupiers during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1940. And in conclusion - there is snow outside the window, which means stop reading - let's go skiing!

P.S. Ancient chronicles tell: Yes, skiing has become so popular in our time as both a sport and just entertainment that many avid skiers even go to the French and Austrian Alps in the summer (where there is a glacier all year round) to ski. But during such trips it is very important to find suitable accommodation. This is actually not so difficult when rental houses in Europe are at your service (including on the website http://rental-home.ru/), all that remains is to find a house and business that is suitable in price and quality via the Internet in advance made.

Do you think skiing is a modern sport? In fact, it is one of the oldest forms of transportation known to man. The word itself comes from Icelandic, meaning “snow boots” or “piece of wood.”

When studying the word SKIING itself, philologists pay attention to the kinship that exists in the names of this device in at least 50 languages and dialects. Similar words are used by the Tungus, Buryats, Laplanders, Finns, Karelians and other northern peoples, who are considered to be from the Altai and Baikal regions. And this circumstance only strengthens the hypothesis about the initial appearance of skis in those places and their subsequent spread to the north.

However, it is believed that the word "ski", meaning "skis" in many languages, comes from the Norwegian "skio" and is translated as a log split in half. In Rus', the Slavic word “ski” was first found in the 12th century in a letter from Metropolitan Nikifor to the Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh.

Current researchers suggest that skis were invented at the end of the Upper Paleolithic era (about 15-20 thousand years ago) by people who inhabited the snow-covered regions of the Earth.

At first, our ancestors probably used various devices, like snowshoes, to increase the support area and allow them to move through deep snow. They could be made from animal skins, tree bark or planks. Then walking skis began to be made from a wooden rim of an oval, round or horseshoe shape, intertwined with a belt or flexible vine.

Long before the advent of Christianity, in Scandinavia, ancient people who used skis were called "sliders." They even deified these "pieces of wood", their God of winter was depicted on a pair of skis with curved toes.

The oldest skis are in the Ski Museum in Oslo: their length is 110 cm, width 20 cm.

ancient skis

Hunters had skis of approximately the same size for many centuries: such skis are still used by hunters and trappers in Greenland, Alaska, and residents of the North, Siberia, and the Far East.

Skiing began to be considered a sport in Norway, in the province of Telemark. Indeed, the town of Morgedal in this Norwegian province is known as the cradle of skiing. This region is covered with snow for a long time of the year, so skis have always been used as a means of transportation there.

If you think competitive skiing is a modern achievement, you might be surprised to know that there were prize ski races in Norway as far back as 1767!

Father of modern skis was Sondre Norheim, a resident of Morgedal in Norway. He became a pioneer not only in slalom and jumping, but also in the creation of skis. At the age of 59, he came to the United States and did a lot for the development of skiing.

In 1868, large skiing competitions were held in the city of Christiania. Sondre Norheim was invited to take part in them. He slid smoothly down the slope, without poles, feet together... and then he had to jump off the slide. He flew into the air like a bird and landed with his knees slightly bent. A moment later he reached the finish line with a deft turn. The crowd watched this performance with admiration.

Thus began a new era the development of skiing, which has become extremely popular throughout Scandinavia. Its inhabitants, apparently, were to a large extent inspired by the old legend telling about the Swedish nobleman and future king Gustav Vasa, who, in the 16th century, led a popular uprising against the Danes, managed to escape their persecution from the city of Selena, where he was hiding, to the city of Moro precisely with the help of skis.

That legendary transition, called "vase-loppet", or "vase run", formed the basis of what has become a traditional race, which is still held in the same Selena to this day, gathering thousands of cross-country skiing fans. Since 1883, the so-called Ski Games started in the Norwegian city of Holmenkollen, which are still held on an ongoing basis.

By the way, the ski style “telemark”, widespread to this day and highlighted in championships as a separate discipline, was named after the village of Telemarken. And “Christianity” was dubbed one of the techniques of turning and braking in alpine skiing.

And yet, not the Norwegians, but the Austrians are considered the founders of modern alpine skiing. The Austrian mountaineer and skier Matthias Zdarsky used a non-stop descent with turns in 1896; he invented the plow, and the thrust technique appeared. Tougher boots and stronger bindings were required to make turns in the plow. At the end of the last century, he published the first textbook on skiing technology, where he summarized all the achievements available at that time and proposed a more progressive form of skis and bindings.

Skiing in Russia.

The first cross-country skiing competitions were organized and held in 1894 by the St. Petersburg circle of sports enthusiasts - a distance of 1/4 mile was laid on the ice of the Neva. Soon the Polar Star ski club was organized in St. Petersburg, after which similar associations began to arise in other cities of the country. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian competitions were held mainly on flat terrain.

Athletes used long (3-3.5 meters) skis and poles the height of a person and taller. The bindings and shoes were soft. Ski equipment came to Russia from Sweden.

The first All-Russian Championship took place in Moscow in February 1910.
The first USSR championship was held in 1924.
By 1925, 20 thousand pairs of skis were manufactured in the country, and 4 years later - already 2 million.
At the end of the 20s, with the transition to cross-country trails, a new type of equipment began to be used: the length of skis and poles decreased, and rigid boots and bindings also appeared.

wooden skis

Modifications of skis.

Already in the late 60s of the last century, skis began to be made of metal with a synthetic coating on the sliding surface. Later they were already made from several materials - wood, plastic and metal. And when leather boots were replaced with plastic ones, which provide greater maneuverability, the speeds on the trails increased. For greater stability on sharp turns, skiers began to use long (215-225 cm) skis, and curved poles appeared to reduce air resistance.

Over time, skis began to be produced to achieve the highest sporting results. "sandwich"- from various materials, compressed in layers.

In the 90s, the sandwich ski was enclosed in a plastic box.

At the beginning of this century, ski equipment went through several revolutions. The already complex puff skis have become wider, and their side cutout has noticeably increased. The so-called carves, they are usually called “new geometry skis.” With the spread of these fitted skis with a wide tip and tail, the technique of turns performed by the skier has improved: thanks to the arched sidecut, such skis follow the arc themselves. Recently, manufacturers have been striving to shorten skis. Many modern skis are equipped with vibration dampers on the front and rear, as well as built-in platforms in the middle of the ski, in the binding area.

Now for making skis use technologies and materials borrowed from the space sector. The latest models of cross-country skis are flexible and resilient, and they glide completely differently than wooden ones.

No less metamorphosis occurred with boots. In terms of comfort and lightness, modern ski shoes, made of plastic and leather, are absolutely incomparable with outdated models. And the fastenings have become significantly smarter: in order to fasten them, you don’t need to make any effort - they easily snap into place in one step.

Narrow and long cross-country skis are ideal for well-prepared skiing, wider ones for loose skiing, and very wide, short and maneuverable ones for cross-country skiing. According to stiffness, side surface geometry, length and other parameters, skis are divided into different target groups: for racers, for amateurs, for tourists and for beginners.

There are sports models specially “tailored” for both classical equipment and skating. The sliding surface, made of high-molecular plastic, can be designed for different temperatures, so at the largest competitions athletes always have several pairs of racing skis with them, which they change depending on the weather.

How far has the progress come?

Nowadays, having put on the latest type of skis and having previously put on an aerodynamic suit, a skier can go down the mountain at a speed of 248 km/h!

Snow is one of the most common natural phenomena. On the globe, the stable one is located in the northern hemisphere and in Antarctica, with most of it falling on the territory of our country. Huge expanses of snow led to the early appearance of skis. In distant historical times, getting food, moving from one settlement to another in winter through deep snow was unthinkable without special devices for the legs, increasing the area of support, allowing you to easily and freely, like a moose on its spreading hooves, overcome snowdrifts in fields, forests, and mountains . Thus arose the forced need to create skis - one of the most amazing inventions of primitive man.

The exact date, place, name of the inventor of the device on legs for fighting snow has not been established. The first devices that people used to move more easily through deep snow were undoubtedly snowshoes or walking skis. These oval, then rocket-shaped primitives! the devices changed significantly during use and gradually, through the so-called ski-shoe, took the form of sliding skis, which made it possible to significantly increase the speed of movement.

The history of skiing goes back several thousand years, which is confirmed in caves in Norway, made about 7,000 years ago. It all started from the moment when a man discovered that by tying two pieces of wood of a special shape to his feet, he could move faster through snow-covered fields and forests while hunting. Many centuries later, approximately in the middle of the 16th century, skis began to be used by the armies of the Scandinavian countries, and a little later the military were put on skis in Russia.

The appearance of skis in ancient Rus' before the beginning of our era is evidenced by studies of rock carvings off the shores of Lake Onega and the White Sea. On the rocks located near the village of Zalavruga near the Fortieth Bay of the White Sea, where Porop Cherny is located on the Vyg River, primitive man left carved inscriptions and drawings that have survived to this day. Among the many rock carvings discovered by the expeditions of A.M. Linevsky (1926) and V.I. Ravdonikas (1936), some have also been found that provide indisputable evidence of the invention of skis by primitive man of the Neolithic era many thousands of years BC. Moreover, even then they were.

The composition of three people on skis is a unique monument of primitive art. The varying degrees of bending of the figures, as well as the varying degrees of rotation of their torsos, give the entire composition a special harmony and expressiveness. The figures of fifteen skiers, twelve of whom have one stick in their hand, and the figure of a skier in tow, are very impressive with their grace. Archaeologists estimate the age of a rock painting of a skier with an ax found off the coast of the Arctic Ocean—he is jokingly called the first biathlete—at 12 thousand years.

Fossilized skis and their parts, which are thousands of years old, have been found in many parts of Russia, where people lived in snowy winter conditions. One of the finds (A.M. Miklyaev, 1982) was discovered on the territory of the Pskov region. According to experts, this ski is one of the most ancient - made about 4,300 years ago.

The oldest example of modern-type sliding skis was discovered (1953) in ancient Novgorod in a layer of the first half of the 111th century. The length of the ski is 1 m 92 cm, the width is on average 8 cm, its front end is slightly raised, curved and pointed. The place for installing the foot is a little more massive, here the thickness of the ski reaches 3 cm. For threading the belt that attaches the ski to the skier’s shoes, there is a through horizontal hole with a diameter of 0.5 cm.

Mons Palm, secretary of the Swedish embassy in Moscow, was amazed by the skis used by our people. In 1617, he wrote: “The Russians made an invention... They have wooden rims approximately seven feet long and one span wide, but the bottom is flat and smooth. They tie them under their feet and run with them through the snow, never plunging into it, and with such speed that one can be surprised at it.” Unlike Russian ones, Österdal skis of the Scandinavian type had different lengths and were slow-moving. When moving on them, the Vikings slid only on the long left ski, and the short right one served for pushing off.

Folk epics (tales, epics, sagas, legends), although sometimes they have a mythical and religious overtones, always tell directly or indirectly about real events and reflect history at a certain stage in the development of human culture. Our ancestors could not understand and explain many natural phenomena, they believed in supernatural power, looked for patrons - gods and heroic heroes, endowing them with all the best that they themselves could imagine. The northern peoples represented gods and heroes as skiers; they interpreted ski ownership as the main human dignity. Thus, in folk legends among the Ostyaks it is said that the god Tunk-Pox chased an elk in the sky on skis and on the descent he broke one ski, but even on one ski he overtook the animal. Therefore, the Milky Way initially has two stripes and then turns into one.

The epic epic of the same Ostyaks tells about the high physical qualities of the heroes, their ability to ski quickly. During the hunt, as the epics tell, people exercised the strength of their legs in skiing and the strength of their arms in pulling a tight bow. Folk epic legends have preserved for us events centuries, maybe even a thousand years ago, that took place in the northern regions of Udmurtia, not far from the Cheptsa River. One of the legends tells about the heroes of Selta who lived near Cheptsa. In winter, they put on silver skis to run to visit friends from the Idna tribe. They swept a distance of 20 miles at such speed that the bread taken out of the oven did not have time to cool. Another legend tells about a hero named Idna (the founder of the oldest settlement on the territory of Udmurtia - Idnakar). According to storytellers, this skier was the owner of golden skis and ran a distance of 30 miles faster than the wind. Some researchers believe that the name “silver and gold skis” comes from the type of tree from which they are made. Others suggest that these names are most likely epithets that denote not only the external advantages of the skis themselves, but also the physical qualities of their owners.

Materials from the epics of the peoples of the North indicate that during the 18th and 19th centuries, great importance was attached to the development of human physical qualities, including the ability to master skis. In Rus', among the folk types of physical exercise, skiing was of vital importance among the Ostyaks, Voguls, Komi, Nenets, Sami, etc. Children of these peoples learned to ski from an early age. In the folk epic, the ability to use skis well was presented as one of the most important heroic qualities. In the competitions and exploits of ancient heroes, the main place was occupied by the art of fast movement on skis.

The abilities of the epic heroes in using skis are absolutely exceptional. In the legends of the peoples of the North, skis are depicted as a kind of flying carpet. One of the Ostyak epics tells about the famous Russian hero Salkhan, who surpassed all his rivals in fast movement on skis. One day Salkhan decided to show his opponents his dexterity. Getting on his skis, he tied a shovel to the back of his belt on a long belt. Salkhan gradually picked up speed, the shovel little by little separated from the snow and, in the end, hung horizontally in the air on a tensioned belt. But Salkhan has not yet reached the speed limit. As the speed further accelerated, the shovel rose higher and higher from a horizontal position, and when Salkhan developed the highest speed, the shovel hung vertically above the skier’s head.

Literary and historical sources provide extensive material on the history of skiing.

The first written information about the use of stepping skis is contained in the works of the ancient Greek historian Xenophon. Describing his campaign in Asia Minor in 401 BC, he reports that the Armenians used round wooden planks tied to their feet to walk on snow in the Caucasus Mountains, in our opinion - walking skis. The first written documents about the use of sliding skis date back to the 6th-7th centuries. AD Gothic monk Jordanes in 552, historians Jordan in the 6th century, Abel Deacon in 770, Verefrid at the end of the 7th century. gave a detailed description of the use of skis in everyday life, as a means of communication, and in work, mainly in hunting.

Over the entire period of evolution of ski equipment, which is several thousand years, there have been very different versions of skis, boots and poles. The first devices for moving on snow, naturally, were more similar to modern snowshoes, but over time they transformed, became longer and narrower to increase speed, they could already glide on the snow and their appearance resembled the skis we are used to.

The first ski shoes did not have a rigid sole and were simply tied to the skis, since there were no special fastenings. This was the case until the 30s of the 20th century, when welt boots appeared, which were actively used by skiers until the 70s.

Sticks also have an interesting history. It turns out that until the end of the 19th century, skiers used only one pole. This is due to the fact that skis were used mainly for hunting and in the army. The first sticks were wooden or bamboo, approximately the height of a person. Only in our time have poles become a high-tech product, made from lightweight aluminum or composite materials.

In order for the skier's weight to be evenly distributed along the entire length of the skis, they were given a smooth curvature, called the weight deflection. In order for the skis to keep their tracks better and maintain direction, a depression was made in the sliding surface - a groove. For greater strength and flexibility, skis began to be made from several layers of wood of different species: birch, ash, beech, hickory. So that the sliding surface does not wear out so quickly, does not become “round” and has better traction with snow, it began to be edged with especially strong wood, and over time - with metal edges.

The first documentary mentions of the use of sliding skis appeared in the U1-UP centuries. The Gothic monk Jordanes in 552 in his book mentions the “sliding Finns”. Similar data are given in the same period by the Byzantine writer Procopius, Greek historians Jornados (VI century), Deacon (770) and other ancient authors. They described in detail skis and their use by northern peoples in everyday life and hunting. Skis and their use in everyday life, hunting and military affairs are described in the most detail in the book of Bishop Olaf Magnus (Olaf the Great), who was expelled from Sweden and fled to Norway. His book “History of the Northern Peoples,” published in Rome in 1555, not only gives a description, but also publishes engravings depicting skiers.

Among the northern peoples of our country (Nenets, Ostyaks, Voguls, etc.), skis were widely used in everyday life and in hunting. “The Sami (Lapps), Nenets, Ostyaks beat wild deer, wolves and other similar animals more with clubs, because they can easily catch up with them on skis. Animals cannot run quickly through deep, collapsing snow and, after a tiring and long chase, they become victims of a person who glides easily on skis,” writes Magnus.

Russian pre-revolutionary historians repeatedly mentioned in their works that, in addition to hunting, skis in Rus' were often used during holidays and winter folk entertainment, where strength, agility, and endurance were demonstrated in “race” running and in descents from the slopes. Along with other entertainment and exercises (fist fighting, horse riding, various games and fun), skiing played an important role in the physical development of the Russian people. Swedish diplomat Palm, who visited the 17th century. in Rus', testified to the widespread use of skiing in the Moscow state. He described in detail the skis used by the locals and the ability of the Russians to move quickly on them.

The oldest skis are in the Ski Museum in Oslo: their length is 110 cm, width 20 cm. Hunters had skis of approximately the same size for many centuries: such skis are still used by hunters and trappers of Greenland, Alaska, residents of the North, Siberia, and the Far East. East.

The history of alpine skiing

According to historians, the first ski competitions took place in 1844 in the Norwegian city of Tremsey. At the dawn of skiing, flat skis were not much different from mountain skis, and competitions often, in addition to running on the plain, included skiing from the slopes of the surrounding mountains and ski jumping.

This type of ski eventing has retained its rights in different countries for a long time. In 1879, residents of the town of Telemarken organized the first “pure” alpine skiing competitions near the Norwegian capital on Mount Goosby. Known for their skiing skills, they challenged the skiers of Christiania (the name of the current capital of Norway, Oslo) to a competition.

The competition on the Holmenkoller Mountains attracted a huge number of spectators. According to eyewitnesses, the skiers were racing along a very steep slope, from which “it was almost impossible to go down.” The spectacle was so unusual and exciting that rumors about it spread throughout Europe. The capital's best skiers were put to shame. They “descended hunched over,” slowed down cautiously, throwing a stick from one side to the other, and did not jump from the springboards, but “fell in sacks.” But the athletes from Telemarken “drove proudly straight, demonstratively holding a spruce branch in their right hand instead of a stick,” flew 25 meters from the springboard, and below, “raising fountains of snow, made a spectacular turn without the help of a stick and stopped.”

The art of the followers of the new sport amazed the audience, a wave of imitation began, and the twist, called telemark, became a model for a long time and received the widest distribution. It was performed like this: the skier put his strongly bent leg forward and used it as a steering wheel; the other, supporting leg rested its toe and knee on the ski; arms, like wings, were spread to the sides to maintain balance.

Needless to say, the reception was spectacular, but unreliable. At high speed, the skiers could not withstand the combat with centrifugal forces and fell. It was difficult to make such a turn on an uneven slope that required shock-absorbing movements. Over time, telemark was replaced by a plow, and then a turn on parallel skis, called “Christiania”. They say that the Norwegians invented “Christianity” by accident: to stop, ski jumpers leaned to the side in a deep squat, holding onto the snow with one hand, and turned their skis in the same direction. And yet, not the Norwegians, but the Austrians are considered the founders of modern alpine skiing.

The Austrian mountaineer and skier Matthias Zdarsky used a non-stop descent with turns in 1896; he invented the plow, and the thrust technique appeared. Tougher boots and stronger bindings were required to make turns in the plow. At the end of the last century, he published the first textbook on skiing technique, where he summarized all the achievements available at that time, proposed a more progressive form of skis and bindings (although Zdarsky’s technique also relied on one stick), and outlined the basics of group training.

Since 1905, skiers' competitions for... the number of turns began to be held in the Alps. The maximum number of turns in a given segment was taken into account, as well as the number of turns per unit of time (these rules are somewhat reminiscent of current water skiing and figure skating competitions).
6 years later, in the winter of 1911, in the Swiss Alps near Montana, downhill competitions were held for the first time: 10 skiers simultaneously raced from the headwaters of the glacier along the virgin soil to the common finish.

It took almost 20 years for fans of the new sport to convince the International Ski Federation (FIS) to “recognize” it as an independent sport. Slalom and downhill for men and women were included in the program of the World Ski Championships only in 1931, where the British excelled. However, soon representatives of the Alpine countries: Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy firmly become the leaders of the new sport. Only from time to time athletes from other countries “break into” their dense ranks.

HISTORY OF SKI RACING.

The Norwegians were the first to show interest in skiing as a sport. In 1733, Hans Emahusen published instructions on ski training for troops with a sports focus. In 1767, competitions were held in all types of skiing (in modern terminology): biathlon, slalom, downhill and racing. The world's first exhibition of various types of skis and ski equipment was opened in Trondheim in 1862-1863. In 1877, the first ski sports society was organized in Norway, and soon a sports club was opened in Finland. Then ski clubs began to function in other countries in Europe, Asia and America. The popularity of ski holidays grew in Norway - the Holmenholen Games (1883), Finland - the Lahtin Games (1922), and Sweden - the Vassalopet mass ski race (1922). At the end of the 19th century. Skiing competitions began to be held in all countries of the world.

Ski specialization varied from country to country. In Norway, cross-country racing, jumping and combined events have gained great development. In Sweden there are cross-country races. In Finland and Russia there are races on flat terrain. In the United States, the development of skiing was facilitated by Scandinavian settlers. In Japan, skiing received an alpine skiing direction under the influence of Austrian coaches. In 1910, an international ski congress was held in Oslo with the participation of 10 countries. It established the International Ski Commission, reorganized into the International Ski Federation (1924).

In the second half of the 19th century. An organized sports movement began to develop in Russia. On December 29, 1895, the grand opening of the country's first organization leading the development of skis, the Moscow Ski Club, took place in Moscow. This official date is considered to be the birthday of skiing in our country. In addition to the Moscow Ski Club, the “Society of Ski Lovers” was created in 1901, and in 1910 the Sokolniki Ski Club was created. By analogy with the Moscow one, in 1897 the Polar Star ski club was created in St. Petersburg. In those years, skiing in Moscow was cultivated in the winter in 11 more clubs, in St. Petersburg in 8 clubs for other sports.

In 1910, Moscow ski clubs united into the Moscow Ski League. The League carried out public leadership of skiing not only in Moscow, but also in other cities of Russia. During the ski season of 1909-1910. A record number of competitions were held in Moscow - eighteen, in which 100 participants competed. On February 7, 1910, 12 skiers from Moscow and St. Petersburg competed for the country's first individual championship in the 30 km cross-country ski race. The title of the first skier in Russia was awarded to Pavel Bychkov. The country's first competition among women was held in 1921; Natalya Kuznetsova won at a distance of 3 km.

At international competitions, the strongest Russian skiers, national champions Pavel Bychkov and Alexander Nemukhin first participated in 1913 in Sweden at the Northern Games. Skiers competed at three distances - 30, 60 and 90 km. They performed unsuccessfully, but learned many useful lessons on skiing techniques, ski lubrication, and equipment design.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, 5 Russian championships were held. In 1918, skiing was included in the academic disciplines of the first curriculum of higher physical education.

By the number of victories at the national championships 1910-1954. The highest rating is occupied by Zoya Bolotova, an eighteen-time champion. Among the men, Dmitry Vasiliev was the strongest - 16 victories, he is the first holder of the title “Honored Master of Sports”. In total for the period 1910-1995. 76 national championships were held at distances from 10 to 70 km for men, and from 3 to 50 km for women. Since 1963, the program of the national championship has included an ultra-marathon distance for men - 70 km. For women, since 1972 the longest distance has been 30 km, and since 1994 - 50 km. The record length 4-day men's race was held in 1938 - 232 km from Yaroslavl to Moscow. Dmitry Vasiliev won - his time was 18 hours 41 minutes 02 seconds.

The record of the first ski century for the number of victories at the national championships was set by Galina Kulakova - 39 gold medals. The sporting achievements of Galina Kulakova were rewarded by the International Olympic Committee - the Olympic Silver Order.

According to the proposal of the Russian Olympic Committee, the first international Coubertin prize among our compatriots was awarded to Raisa Smetanina, the leader of the world elite skiers. A participant in five Olympics and eight world championships, Raisa Smetanina set another unique record of sports longevity - at her fifth Olympics she was crowned with a gold medal at the age of 40.

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Various devices that increased the area of support when moving through deep snow were used by ancient peoples in everyday life and in hunting. The first such devices, obviously, were the skins of killed animals, with which ancient hunters wrapped their legs, protecting them from the cold. This was the impetus for the use of other objects (bark fragments, chips, and later planks) to increase the support area.

Numerous studies by historians, archaeologists, Russian chronicles, Scandinavian epics and other sources speak of the use of skis by the peoples inhabiting Siberia, the Urals, Altai, northern Europe, and Scandinavia long before our era.

The latest data suggests that skis were invented at the end of the Upper Paleolithic - approximately 15-20 thousand years ago (and not 5 thousand, as previously thought). This period of human development (Upper Paleolithic) is characterized by a relatively high culture (sculptures made of tusks and stone, bone carvings, multi-colored images in caves). According to the level of development, ancient man was then quite capable of inventing skis. On the territory of the Russian Federation, the world's northernmost Upper Paleolithic sites of ancient man have been found - at the mouth of the Chusovaya River and on the Lena River (Yakutia).

It is most likely that at first the northern peoples used walking skis of various shapes - round, oval and rocket-shaped. Sliding skis appeared much later - during the Neolithic period. Rock art dating back to the 3rd millennium BC suggests that sliding skis were already in use at that time. Such drawings were found on the rocks of the White Sea coast, in areas called Zolovrug and Besovy Sledki. In these drawings, human figures are depicted on relatively narrow and long skis with curved toes and with one stick, which, obviously, was used both when moving on skis and as a spear in hunting.

Similar images were found in Scandinavia on the rocks of the Raday Peninsula, the island of Helleristina (Norway) and the city of Upsala (Sweden); archaeologists date them to the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of our era (2-3 thousand years ago).

There is evidence that indicates the use of skis by tribes and nationalities inhabiting Altai and the expanses of southern Siberia. Thus, during excavations of an ancient burial ground near the city of Omsk, a bronze knife was discovered, on the handle of which there is a figure of a man sliding on skis in tow behind a horse. This suggests that skis were widely used in Siberia already in the 2nd millennium BC.

Historians mention that the Tungus also used deer to tow skiers, as evidenced by rock carvings found on the White Sea coast. An archaeological find (fragments of a vessel depicting a skier with sticks) indicates the use of skis during the Neolithic period and in the middle zone of the European part of the Russian Federation.

Philological studies indicate the similarity of ski names (word roots) in about 50 languages and dialects (mainly 3 groups of roots). This is mainly among northern peoples - people from the Altai and Baikal regions (Laplanders, Finns, Karelians, Tungus, Buryats, etc.). Such data suggests that skiing originated somewhere in these regions, and then spread north and to other places with the great migration of peoples. But, obviously, it should be assumed that skiing arose where there were appropriate climatic conditions, and ancient people needed to get their own food during a long winter and deep snow cover.

The ancient Greek historians Xenophon (IV century BC) and Strabo (1st century BC) mention that tribes in the Caucasus Mountains (Armenians and others) used walking skis. In Rus', the word “ski” was first used in the 12th century. in a letter from Metropolitan Nikifor to the Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh. Since then, it has become widespread in the Russian language, and the more ancient name “yuti” began to be used less frequently and gradually lost circulation.

During archaeological excavations at ancient human sites and peat bogs on the territory of the Russian Federation and Scandinavian countries, skis or their individual parts were found. The most ancient finds of fossilized skis are about 5,000 years old. Skis dating back to the P-1 millennium BC were found in the Yekaterinburg area.

In the process of evolution, the shape of the skis was gradually improved. After stepping skis, sliding skis appeared. But there was a period when sliding skis of different lengths were used - one narrow and long for sliding, and the other, shorter and wider, for pushing off.

When traveling over rough terrain, hunting and in the forest, it is inconvenient to use skis of different lengths. Apparently, this is why skis appeared that were shorter and wider, but the same in length.

Later, skis began to be used, covered underneath with the skin of elk, deer or seal with a short pile located back, which made it possible to avoid slipping when climbing uphill. There is evidence that northern and eastern peoples glued skins to skis using glue made from the antlers, bones and blood of elk, deer or fish scales. It is known that a similar method of making skis was used by some nationalities of our country at the beginning of the 20th century. The gradual evolution of skis is confirmed by later finds. Thus, during archaeological finds in ancient Novgorod, a ski dating back to the first half of the 13th century was found, which, despite the rough processing of the wood, is very similar to modern hunting skis. With a length of 192 cm and an average width of 8 cm, it has a raised, curved and pointed toe. The thickness at the point of attachment to the leg (loading area) reaches 3 cm. To attach the ski to the leg, in this place there is a through horizontal hole with a diameter of about 0.5 cm, through which a belt is threaded that secures the shoes to the ski.

The widespread use of skis in ancient times is confirmed by the folk epics of various tribes and nationalities that inhabited the northern regions of our country and Scandinavia. In ancient tales, legends, epics, and sagas, the ability to move quickly on skis was presented as the main dignity of a person. It is not surprising that all the heroes of the ancient folk epic have always been skilled skiers and brave warriors (among the Norwegians, Karelians, Mordvins, etc.).

Thus, the founder of Norway Nor, according to ancient legend, came to Scandinavia “on a good ski track,” defeated the Laplanders and formed his own state.

In the ancient state sagas there was a special god - Ullr, the patron saint of skiers, and the goddess Skade is glorified as a skilled hunter on skis. Similar legends existed among the northern peoples of our country. Thus, the Ostyaks believed that the stellar Milky Way was a ski track laid by the patron god of hunters, the god Tunk-Pox, while chasing an elk on skis. In Ostyak epics, warrior heroes were always fast skiers and excellent archers. The hero of the Mordovian epic Kuturak "ran on skis faster than the wind."

The first documentary mentions of the use of sliding skis appeared in the U1-UP centuries. The Gothic monk Jordanes in 552 in his book mentions the “sliding Finns”. Similar data are given in the same period by the Byzantine writer Procopius, Greek historians Jornados (VI century), Deacon (770) and other ancient authors. They described the skis in detail andtheir use by northern peoples in everyday life and hunting. Skis and their use in everyday life, hunting and military affairs are described in the most detail in the book of Bishop Olaf Magnus (Olaf the Great), who was expelled from Sweden and fled to Norway. His book “History of the Northern Peoples,” published in Rome in 1555, not only gives a description, but also publishes engravings depicting skiers.

Among the northern peoples of our country (Nenets, Ostyaks, Voguls, etc.), skis were widely used in everyday life and in hunting. “The Sami (Lapps), Nenets, Ostyaks beat wild deer, wolves and other similar animals more with clubs, because they can easily catch up with them on skis. The animals cannot run quickly through deep, collapsing snow and after a tiring and long chase they become victims of easily sliding snow. man's skis," writes Magnus.