The summer melting of ice and glaciers in the mountains of Norway has recently revealed some ancient wooden artefacts including some skis and ski/snowshoes, which are contributing to archaeologists' investigations into the history of ski development. This article was published yesterday, and for anyone like me who is interested in the history of skiing it is a fascinating read.
The article discusses in some detail the Digervarden ski (c. AD 750), which was found with its binding intact, and the Lendbreen ski/snow shoe (c. 650 BC).
The article links to a couple of YouTube videos, including an experimental archaeology exercise where a reconstruction of the Digervardon ski and binding is skied on using a long wooden pole as an outrigger (which was the custom amongst early skiers up to the 20th Century and is still used by the traditional skiers in Altai China).
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 5-10-18 15:59; edited 2 times in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Great-looking article and videos, thanks for sharing Alastair. I’m also fascinated by this history- really enjoyed ‘Two planks and a passion’ a few years ago. Looking forward to reading the article later!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
If you're interested in this there is a section in the great Siberian traverse ski film where they visit some guys in Siberia that still use this traditional kind of ski.