Interesting facts about skiing. The most interesting facts about alpine skiing The longest skis in the world
Skis are the undisputed leader among all winter species sports
When starting a conversation about skiing, I would like to remember the well-known folk wisdom: “Prepare a cart in winter, and a sleigh in summer.” In our case, the sled is skis, and, of course, they had to be prepared in advance.
Skiing is one of the most ancient sports, and greatest development he received it precisely in the northern countries, to which our homeland is most directly related. Naturally, at first no one thought of considering skiing as entertainment. In winter, across our snow-covered expanses, in the absence of any other modes of transport, skiing was the most accessible form of individual transportation. With their help, our ancestors went hunting and generally used them in everyday life.
The Norwegians were the first to show interest in skiing as a sport. With them light hand began to hold various competitions, and soon skiing has become one of the most popular in the world.
This is understandable, given its democratic nature, accessibility and its undoubted health benefits.
You can start skiing already at early childhood, starting from 4-5 years old, says Andrey Kondratov, master of sports in ski racing, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, head of the “League of Ski Clubs”. - The most important thing at this age is not to force children to do something by force. They won’t turn out to be skiers yet, but it’s important that they learn to enjoy the process.
- The first skis were walking skis. One of the most ancient specimens was discovered in the Pskov region. According to scientists, it is more than 4300 years old.
- Sliding skis appeared in the 6th-7th centuries BC. The Greek historians Jordanes and Abel Deacon in 770 described the use of skis by the Finns and Laplanders.
- By 925 there is a mention of the Norwegian king Olaf Trugvasson, who, according to contemporaries, was a very good skier.
- In Rus', the word “skis” was used for the first time in the 12th century in a letter from Metropolitan Nikifor to the Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh.
- In the Nikon Chronicle of 1444 there is a description of the campaign of the Moscow ski army to Ryazan.
- Skis were actively used in the armies under Peter I and Catherine II.
- Interest in skiing as a sport first arose in Norway. The first competitions were held there in 1767.
- The first ski sports society was organized in Norway in 1877. This initiative was taken up in Finland, where a ski sports club was opened.
- In 1910, the International Ski Congress was held in Oslo, in which 10 countries took part. The International Federation was formed in 1924.
- Skiing in Russia sports movement developed at the end of the 19th century. On December 29, 1895, the Moscow Ski Club opened on the territory of the current Young Pioneers stadium. This date is considered to be the official birthday of skiing in Russia.
At first, it would be nice for one of the parents to simply give the child a ride. This can be done by tying him to you with a rope or by letting the child hold on to sticks. Such methods of transportation are always a joy for children.
Then you can find a small slope and, placing the child between your legs, ride with him. And only then does it make sense to invite him to try to move out himself. And again, it is best to ride on gentle slopes at this stage of training. In this case, children will not receive much physical activity. After all, it is important to ensure that the young skier does not get tired, since a lot depends on the first impression. If you enjoy skiing, your child will enjoy skiing all his life.
It is possible to seriously master the technique of movement only from the age of 9-10, says Andrei Kondrashov. Now there are two types of gliding: classic and skating. The first one is easier to learn. The point is that movement classic move very similar to walking with the only difference: the feet are not wearing boots, but skis.
Skating is a little more difficult. But again: if a child knows how to skate, then he will be able to master this move on skis. Eat good exercise for learning to skate. The point is to try to drive along the track without poles (and this is very important!), pushing off the snow with the inner edge of the ski.
Of great importance gear and equipment . Time wooden skis It's been a long time. Nowadays skis are made of plastic. Advantages modern models obvious. Such skis look beautiful, they do not need to be rubbed with ointment as carefully as wooden skis used to be, they are light, flexible and practically do not break.
- It's easy to choose skis , continues Andrey Kondrashov. - If professional racers have different models in their arsenal - for classic and skating, then for lovers skiing One pair is enough. Ski size is easy to determine. Their length is equal to the height of the skier plus 10-30 centimeters. The length of the poles is determined as follows: take the height of the skier and subtract 30 cm from this figure. This will be the desired size.
It is better to buy boots one size larger. After all, you might want to ride even in the cold, and then you’ll have to wear thick woolen socks. Ski ointment - a separate question, but not difficult. It is quite enough to have only three options: for frosty weather, for positive weather and for 0 degrees. Moreover, if you have plastic skis, then they do not need special rubbing.
And a few words must be said about clothes. In stores now there is a huge selection of different jackets, insulated trousers or one-piece overalls. The latter are more suitable for very young children. Try not to wrap your child up, because he will be actively moving, and if he is wearing a fur coat and a fur hat, he will quickly get tired and, which is very dangerous, will sweat. And if wet clothes are not replaced immediately, the child runs the risk of catching a cold. Clothes should be light , but at the same time do not allow the wind to pass through. It is very good to wear the so-called thermal underwear, which retains heat, but at the same time releases moisture. Should be on the head sports cap . It is necessary! And it doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside. The head and feet should not freeze under any circumstances. It is only in Hollywood films that James Bond walks around without a hat in winter. But even then in the Alps! Russia is a northern country, and the broad Russian soul requires entertainment, and the body needs healing even in the most severe cold, in the most scorching wind. Therefore, it would be a good idea to take preventive measures against frostbite: cover your face from the wind and have dry mittens with you just in case. If an emergency does happen: you feel numbness in your fingers, your nose or ears lose sensitivity, it’s a serious matter. The walk should be stopped immediately Never rub the frostbitten area with snow .
The size of cross-country skis is determined in the following way: skier's height plus 10-30 centimeters
Any sport is good for health, and skiing here may even be ahead of others. It is believed, and not without reason, that skiing brings a charge of vigor and well-being. This sport helps the harmonious development of children. When walking or running, all muscle groups work: arms, legs, back, in addition, it goes intense workout and strengthening the body's cardiovascular system. The benefits of walking on fresh air huge, so wait for the snow and don’t sit in front of the TV this coming weekend, but gather the kids and go into the forest.
Elena GRISHINA
Man began walking and skiing at a time when he was wearing the skins of animals he had killed while hunting. The first rock paintings with this “sports equipment” date back to Stone Age. And the oldest skis that have survived to this day and are on display in one of the Swedish museums are more than two thousand years old. Essentially, these are two boards with the ends facing up.
The ancient Scandinavians, who are rightfully considered the founders of skiing, even had patron deities of skis. The god's name was Ull, the goddess's name was Skade.
Despite the consonance of the words “Skeid” and “ski”, English name skiing does not come from the name of the Scandinavian goddess. It is based on the Icelandic word “skidh”, which translates as “piece of wood”.
Modern skis are absolutely identical to each other, but in the Middle Ages they were significantly different. One was intended for driving, the other for pushing off a snowy surface. The first one was longer, the second one was shorter. The first was a piece of sharpened wood, the second was lined with skins. Naturally, riding on such devices was extremely inconvenient. They were used not for skiing, but for passing through deep snow.
The first skis for sports were real giants. Their length was three meters, and the poles on which the skier leaned exceeded human height.
Alpine skiing is a fairly young sport. They began to practice it professionally only at the end of the 18th century. A century later, he already had many fans, including famous ones. For example, the “father” of Sherlock Holmes, A. Conan Doyle, was known as a big fan of steep ski turns.
The Norwegian Nansen performed his most famous feat - crossing Greenland - on skis. This equipment, alas, also became the cause of his death: the legendary polar explorer died at the age of 69 after allowing himself too much stress during a ski trip.
The average speed that a skier develops while descending a slope is 100 km/h. Although representatives of one of the extreme skiing sports - downhill - can “fly” at a speed that not every car can achieve: more than 200 km/h. Even skydivers in free fall are 7 km/h slower than them.
The record for simultaneous skiing on the longest skis in the world belongs to the Swedes. In 2008, 1,043 enthusiasts simultaneously rode the 534-meter-long planks.
You can go skiing even where there has never been snow. For example, on an artificial ski slope in the UAE, built inside a huge pavilion. Anyone who is tired of a beach holiday can slide down a 400-meter-high mountain and crunch the snow. True, not real, but artificial.
Skiing was included in the Olympic Games in 1924. Then the Norwegians collected almost a complete set of medals, leaving virtually no chance for their rivals.
The most expensive skis in the world are those produced under the French brand Lacroix. They are plated with gold and contain diamond inlays. A couple of these sports equipment can be purchased for “only” $62,000. How often it is used for its intended purpose is unknown.
The most victories at the Alpine Skiing World Cup belong to Mark Ghirardelli. There is nothing special about this, except for the fact that Mark is a native citizen of Luxembourg, and there are no mountains there at all.
The oldest alpine skier on the planet is considered to be the representative of Hungary, Low Bathory. He started skiing at the age of 11 and did not give up his favorite sport even when he was 101 years old. Thus, the total skiing experience of this amazing person is 90 years!
Russian soldiers fought foreign invaders on skis. The legendary Ermak Timofeevich went hiking on skis.
The first ski club in Russia was organized in December 1895. It was called the “Moscow Ski Club”.
The Russian cross-country skiing championship has been regularly played since 1910. Muscovite Pavel Bychkov won the title of the first champion of Russia. Before the revolution, in addition to Bychkov, Alexander Nemukhin and Nikolai Vasiliev won the national championships.
Four Muscovites - A. Nemukhin, M. Gostev, I. Zakharov and A. Elizarov - members of the Sokolniki Ski Circle - made a ski trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1911. In 12 days they covered more than 700 kilometers.
In 1919, the Soviet Russia Championship was held for the first time in Petrograd. The winner was the now Honored Master of Sports and Honored Trainer of the USSR V. Serebryakov.
The USSR championship in skiing was played for the first time: in 1924 in cross-country skiing (Won by Muscovite D. Vasiliev), in 1926 in ski jumping (Won by Leningrader V. Voronov), in 1934 in alpine skiing (Won by Gorky resident V. Glasson).
Peculiar record holders in skiing are Muscovites D. Vasiliev and Z. Bolotova. Both were awarded the title of national champions twelve times.
Multi-day ski treks were very popular in the twenties and thirties. The most significant of them are: Moscow - Oslo, Irkutsk - Moscow, Baikal - Murmansk, Moscow - Tobolsk, Ulan-Ude - Moscow.
If before the revolution very few skiers took part in competitions, then more than six million boys and girls took part in the first Komsomol cross-country race, held in 1941!
At the 1954 World Championships, held in the vicinity of the Swedish city of Falun, debutants distinguished themselves - Soviet skiers. Leningrad resident Vladimir Kuzin won 2 gold medals at distances of 30 and 50 kilometers. His fellow countrywoman Lyubov Kozyreva (now Baranova) won the 10-kilometer race. First place at these competitions was taken by L. Kozyreva, M. Maslennikova and V. Tsareva - in the 3X5 kilometer relay race. In 1958, Pavel Kolchin distinguished himself at the world championship in Lahti. He won three silver medals.
Alevtina Kolchina was named “Queen of the Tatras” in 1962. On the ski track in Zakopane (Poland), at the next world championship, she won three gold medals.
Soviet skiers participated in the Winter Olympic Games three times. In Cortina d'Ampezzo, at the VII White Olympiad, gold medals were won by Lyubov Kozyreva and male racers in the 4X10 kilometer relay. From Squaw Valley, from the VIII White Olympiad, Leningrader Maria Gusakova returned as champion. Finally, in Innsbruck, Klavdiya Boyarskikh from Sverdlovsk climbed to the highest step of the podium three times. Together with her, Alevtina Kolchina and Evdokia Mekshilo received gold medals for winning the 3X5 kilometer relay race.
This Sunday, the massive winter marathon “Ski Track of Russia” starts in Smolensk, which for the past three decades has united many thousands of sports fans in different parts of our country. We have selected some interesting facts about this ancient and popular means of transportation.
Few people know that skis are more than 4 thousand years old! This is exactly how much they give to the snowmobile exhibits kept at the Swedish Ski Museum. Outwardly, they look like ordinary narrow boards with ends bent upward. The only difference is that the length of the first skis sometimes reached three or more meters, and ski poles could be taller than the skier.
Scientists claim that man began to walk and ski at a time when he was wearing the skins of animals he had killed while hunting. The first rock paintings with this “sports equipment” date back to the Stone Age. The ancient Scandinavians, who are rightfully considered the founders of skiing, even had divine patrons of skiing. The god's name was Ull, the goddess's name was Skade.
Modern skis are absolutely the same in size, but in the Middle Ages they differed significantly. One ski was intended for riding itself; it was slightly longer, its end was sharpened and lined with skins. The other was used for pushing off a snowy surface and was much shorter. It was extremely inconvenient to ride such devices, so they were used not for riding, but for passing through deep snow.
Alpine skiing is a fairly young sport. They began to practice it professionally only at the end of the 18th century. A century later, skiing became very popular, including among famous writers. For example, the “father” of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, was a big fan of steep snow turns.
To the Olympic Games program skiing types sports were first included in 1924. Its first champions then were the Norwegians, who managed to take almost a complete set of medals in this sport. Skiing appeared in Russia in 1895, when the Moscow Ski Club was organized.
The Norwegian Nansen also accomplished his most famous feat - crossing Greenland - on skis. This equipment, alas, also became the cause of his death: the legendary polar explorer died at the age of 69 after allowing himself too much stress during a ski trip.
The average speed that a skier develops while descending a mountain slope is 100 km/h. And representatives of one of them extreme species sports - downhill skiing - can reach speeds that not every car can reach: more than 200 km/h. This is 7 km/h faster than the speed of a skydiver in free fall.
The most expensive skis in the world are those produced under the French brand “Lacroix”. They are plated with gold and contain diamond inlays. A pair of such sports equipment will cost $62,000. True, it is difficult to say to what extent such a set of skis can be used for their intended purpose.
The oldest skier on the planet lives in Hungary. His name is Low Bathory, he first skied at the age of 11 and did not give up his favorite sport even when he was 101 years old. Thus, the total skiing experience of this amazing person is 90 years!
As the saying goes - "Prepare your sleigh and skis in the summer."
True, summer has already passed, but the active skiing season will begin very soon.
While I was monitoring the information and looking at the photos, I remembered our trip to Bukovel.
I wanted to repeat this experience, only for a longer period.
Rest on ski resorts Ukraine and the world is a separate issue. And I think that we will also pay attention to it.
And now I’m sharing 7 interesting facts about skiing.
So, let's go.
The oldest skis
The oldest skis are over 2,000 years old and are kept in the Swedish Ski Museum.
Skis look like boards with curved ends up.
The longest skis in the world are 534 meters. It’s even hard for me to imagine :)
These skis became part of the simultaneous skiing record.
This record belongs to the Swedes. In 2008, 1,043 people skied on these long skis.
Oh, what people can’t come up with to break records or experience new sensations :)
“Eh, let me ride with the breeze” - skiers can safely say so.
What a breeze it turns out if you think about speed.
For example, average speed which a skier develops during the descent is 100 km/h.
And in 2006, the Frenchman established a world record- his speed reached 251.4 km/h. Just think about it:)
Skis of different lengths
Now the skis are the same length. But this was not always the case.
In the Middle Ages, skis were of different lengths - one was long and the other was short.
The short ski was used for pushing off and was often wrapped in animal skins to prevent it from slipping. And we rode a long way.
In some ways this principle reminds me of a scooter.
Yes, it turns out that skiing also has its own capital. Conditional, of course :)
This is Norway.
It was there that alpine skiing was invented at the end of the 17th century.
It is interesting that when the first Winter Olympic Games ( 1924), then almost all medals Among skiers, the Norwegians won.
The most expensive skis worldwide produces the Lacroix brand.
Lovers of gold and diamonds can please themselves with this purchase - buy skis for $62,000. These skis are plated in gold and contain diamond inlays.
I read that the buyer is given a season pass to Courchevel as a gift.
The only question is whether these skis are bought for their intended purpose.
Progress has reached the point that you can ski in countries where it is summer all year round.
For example, the southernmost highway in the world is located in the UAE.
For those who like numbers, this track uses 6 thousand tons of artificial snow and is 400 meters long. Naturally, it is located in a closed pavilion.
P.S. In Ukraine you can also ski
