History of skis
"And then there's the land where all the people with their heads are haggard", - scared the townsfolk of the town of Kalinova, the talkative wanderer Feklush from the drama of A. Ostrovsky "The Storm".However, hardly anyone believed her, would there have been the same Feklusha - after all, it was the 19th century, large geographical discoveries were made, and the person already knew a lot about the world around him. Well, if the narrator lived in the 6th century BC and himself visited many countries, then, of course, listeners did not doubt the truthfulness of his stories.
"There are monsters about one leg in those snows, and they are running around in the snow with the speed of incredible - real devils" - such stories were entertained by the audience of the Roman gold dealer Terence Dar, who returned from a distant Snowy Land. And he did not invent anything, but honestly told about what he saw with his own eyes. It was about Scandinavia. Its inhabitants, apparently, were dressed in fur skins from head to foot, so a resident of warm Italy and took them for a "monster," but why "one leg"?Yes, because they slipped on one ski( it was called "wooden sole"), the other - a small "sweep" - was used for the push.
Skis of similar design are by no means the most ancient.
Probably, it was the difficulty of walking through the snow that prompted the person to the idea of "big soles".It is believed that they appeared 20-30 thousand years ago. They were round or oblong plates. Then they began to make of branches - they were bent in the form of an oval, and the ends were pulled together by a winding of veins. In such "skis" the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Armenia were even wearing horses, although in this case it would be more correct to talk about "big hoofs".This ancient design has survived to this day. So, for those who do not know how to ski, in Switzerland, a special club for snowshoe walking has been created. These designs resemble larger tennis rackets with mounts. Unlike skiing, snowshoe walking requires less physical effort, allowing you to climb into unattainable places for skiers. In this sport, even competitions were held - walking at 5 and 10 kilometers.
Perhaps some of our distant ancestors, slipping on the slope on such devices, slipped, but did not fall, but drove a certain distance. This prompted an interesting idea - is it not to make sliding skis? At first they had different lengths - the Roman traveler saw them like that. But one important detail was not noticed by his inquisitive gaze: from below the skis were lined with fur and slid only over the nap. It is very convenient for hunters: you can easily climb and come close to the beast - skis do not creak, there is no recoil when running. And now evenki-hunters pile skis with reindeer skins. An ancient skier preferred one stick: after all, he was primarily a hunter or a warrior, and he needed a free hand to hold prey, a bow, a gun.
Soon, skis began to be used in military affairs.1500 years ago Scandinavia was invaded by the Normans, according to legend, the conquerors came on skis. In the XII century, the Norwegian kings held a special detachment of Finnish skiers-soldiers in the service. And in 1444 the Moscow army on skis repulsed the Tatar foray into Ryazan. In describing this event in the annals, among other things, for the first time mentioned the use of skis in Russia. Later, in the annals of the XVI and XVII centuries, there are also records of such detachments. The skis helped Russian partisans in the war of 1812, and at the end of the 19th century the Russian army even introduced compulsory training in skiing. Successfully used skiing parts of communication and sanitation during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
Skiers. Scandinavian engraving.
And of course, ski battalions and brigades played a significant role in defeating the Nazis.
The way of skiing to wide popularity was pretty thorny. It all began with the legends of the "snow devil", in which the ancient Italians believed. Later, the Catholic Church began to intimidate its parishioners with the "snow devil".All those who tried to put on their feet the "fiction of the devil" betrayed the curse - anathema. But the spread of skis could not be stopped. Already in 1555 in Russia, the inhabitants of which foreigners called skiers, the first ski races with prizes were held. There is a mention of such competitions in Norway in the middle of the XVIII century. True, only warriors could participate in them;in 1867 in the Norwegian region of Telemark there were held races in which everyone could participate.
In Russia at the end of the last century, racing skiers were not a rarity. In 1895 the "Moscow Ski Club" was created, but the first national championship was held only after 15 years. He passed on the Khodynka field in Moscow.14 riders competed at a distance of 30 kilometers. The race was won by Pavel Bychkov, having passed the track in 2 hours 26 minutes and 47 seconds. But the victory gave the driver a lot of grief. The fact is that the winner was a janitor. And in the press there was a discussion: is it possible to consider an amateur of a person whose profession is connected with physical labor?
A truly massive fascination with skiing began in the world since the end of the last century, when Norwegian researchers crossed Greenland from west to east on "boards."In the newspapers there were photos of the world-famous polar explorer Nansen, who was skiing.
Skiing of northern peoples.
Skis have become not only popular, but also fashionable, and this has generated a lot of curiosities. Elegantly dressed ladies attacked artisans who worked on wood, begging them to carve small skiers for their dogs;ardent gentlemen gave ladies hearts skis, designed for riding together.
The first attempt to "comprehend" skis, that is, to create them optimal in size and shape, was made back in 1644 by the Dane Saxo. He performed the first ever sketch of sliding skis. At first they turned out to be wide and short. But over time, their form gradually changed and eventually took a modern look, which turned out to be more convenient for good sliding and practical. For a long time skis were made from a single piece of wood, the best material was considered birch. Then there were glued skis - from several layers of plywood with edging at the edges. Since 1974, the era of plastic skis began. In just a few years they almost completely replaced wooden skis from the sport. This was due to their lower weight, greater strength and excellent "running" qualities.
However, much depends on the choice of ointment. The first ski ointments appeared at the beginning of the century. And immediately there were not only recipes, but also secrets. At the same time, what is interesting is that the time of a 10 km run by a good skier is now 34-35 minutes, and half a century ago - 27 minutes. It is paradoxical! After all, skiers have become stronger and more enduring. What is the reason? In skis or in ointments? Neither in nor in the other. The route is to blame. Previously, it was laid only on flat terrain, and now along the rough terrain. On the way of the skier there are also rivers, ditches, and ice cover of lakes. And if before the ointment had one task - to increase the slip, but now it has to be increased and reduced. The basis of the ointment remained the same - paraffins and waxes, and rubber and rubber were added to improve the adhesion with snow. And yet a universal ointment for all occasions can not be created.
Ski poles are also being improved. For example, inside each handle, a smooth rod pressed from a mixture of crushed coal and clay is inserted, which is ignited with a match and smoldering for 4 hours. Even in frost, you can go on a track without mittens.
How not to use skis! At the beginning of the last century, an American cattleman decided to ride with his girlfriend. They went out of town, and suddenly a strong gust of wind blew, like a sail, the girl's skirt, which flew at a great speed from the young man. The same day an enterprising American was already skiing under sail.
For some time now skied not only on snow, but also on water. Some are rushing at high speed for a boat, for others, a boat is not needed: each ski consists of two oblong cylinders, connected by a step. To the ends of the sticks are also attached small cylindrical inflatable cylinders. They just "walk" on the water. Later there was a surfing - riding on the boards in the waves of the surf. And in the north of Australia, no one has ever seen snow, but this does not mean that there are no skiing there. Ride, and all the year round, - along the sandy slopes.
In some countries, "grass" skis have become very popular. It is a rubber caterpillar in a metal frame, equipped with plastic rollers. Such speed, as on ordinary skis, can not be reached, but you can train in the summer.
The inventor of mountain skis is Matiasha Zbarsky. In 1891-1892, he converted the Norwegian skis into Alpine, being able to give them maneuverability and stability in conditions of rapid descent along mountain slopes.
There were also winged skiers. The ancestor of this sport is the Austrian engineer I. Krupka. Thanks to the wings that he developed, slalom and jumping became much more interesting. The wings are made of very light metal. Wear them in a special backpack. Before jumping and flying, the skier puts on a belt with a breastplate, to which is attached a massive rod, carrying wings. And it is not known what other designs will appear. ..
Do you know?
What is freestyle?
Freestyle is a free style skiing. It arose in the 20s of this century. Since the 60's, this sport has become widespread, since 1974 the continent championships( Europe and America) have been held. There are three kinds of competitions: figure skating, descent along boograms and ski acrobatics.