9 Exciting Fun Facts About Skiing You Can't Miss: Discover the Thrills!
1. Ski History: From Uber to Olympics
Before King Haakon made winter sports cool centuries ago, skiing was simply the Scandinavian equivalent of Uber: The Old Norse language reveals that the word "ski" means "stick of wood," and people in medieval Scandinavia used these wooden sticks to get around in snow. In fact, King Haakon sent his tax collectors ski-gliding over the landscape as early as 950 CE, and the recreational snow-fun we enjoy today only started picking up traction in the 1800s with Scandinavian military training exercises as its first sporty incarnation. Skiing has now evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry, slaloming every winter into the hearts of thrill-seekers worldwide and even tagged along for the Winter Olympics' maiden voyage in 1924.
Source => skibutlers.com
2. New York: Ski Resort Capital
When New Yorkers tire of Broadway, they hit the slopes: New York state boasts an impressive 50 ski resorts, more than any other state in the nation, catering to snow bunnies of all skill levels.
Source => magazine.trivago.com
Did you know that early cross-country runners were like environmentally-unfriendly bloodhounds, chasing after trails of discarded paper? Discover the fascinating origins of this sport!
=> Fun Facts about Cross-Country
3. Yoga: Ski Injury Prevention
When you're ready to hit the slopes and say "namaste" to gravity, don't forget to strike a pose first: practicing yoga before and after skiing can significantly reduce the risk of injury, as it improves strength, flexibility, balance, and concentration, all of which are vital for skiing and staying in one piece on those snowy mountains!
Source => ekhartyoga.com
4. Half-century Wait for Olympic Medal
You think waiting in line at the DMV is bad? Try waiting half a century for an Olympic medal: At the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, 1924, ski jumping made its debut as an exhibition event and American skier Anders Haugen was awarded a bronze medal in 1974, nearly 50 years later, when a scoring error was finally corrected.
Source => olympics.com
5. Bluetooth Ski Gear For Safe Shredding
When you're shredding the gnar and need some gnarly tunes, bro, but high-fiving trees is no fun: Bluetooth skiing communication devices, such as snowboard helmet speakers, allow you to chat with up to 15 fellow riders and access your phone's GPS features hands-free, all while urging you to practice safe shredding by lowering the volume and staying mindful of your frosty surroundings.
Source => cardosystems.com
6. Conquering Mount Everest on Skis
Ever feeling like skiing down a "hill" was too much of a normie move, Davo Karnicar decided to glide down a beast of a slope: In 2000, Karnicar became the first person to ski from the summit of Mount Everest in one run, taking only five hours to conquer the Nepalese south side, all while stopping just three times before triumphantly reaching the base camp at 17,500 feet.
Source => washingtonpost.com
7. Record-Breaking Speed Skier
When Ivan Origone isn't busy impersonating a bullet train on a snowy slope, he's busy breaking world records: The Italian speed skier shattered his own record by reaching a mind-boggling speed of 254.958 km/h (158.424 mph) at the French ski station of Vars, zooming past his previous record of 252.632 km/h (156.978 mph) while his brother Simone and French skier Billy Simon joined the over 250km/h club that day.
Source => en.as.com
8. Flipping Out with A Sit Ski Backflip
Flipping out on the slopes: Canadian daredevil Josh Dueck performed the first-ever backflip on a sit ski, conquering challenges as a Paralympic athlete and tasting sweet powdery victory at the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi. The trailblazing sit-skier is now turning heads and collaborating with Canada's Paralympic ski team to create the ultimate sit ski, blending high-performance racing with jaw-dropping stunts like his iconic backflip.
Source => passionatepeople.invacare.eu.com
9. Soaring Through The Skies: Ski Flying Record
When Stefan Kraft wasn't busy defying the laws of gravity and soaring through the skies like an overzealous bird trying to reach the moon: he set the astronomical ski flying world record of 253.5 meters (832 feet) in March 2017 at Vikersund, Norway, coming tantalizingly close to Dimitry Vassiliev's longest jump.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
