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Skiing

Skiing is the human activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings.

Skiing

Many different types of skiing are popular, especially in colder climes, and many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Ski Federation (FIS), and other sporting organizations.

For many people, "skiing" means recreational downhill skiing in which one visits a ski resort, purchases a lift ticket, dons cold-weather clothing, skis, ski boots and ski poles, and embarks on a chairlift, gondola lift, or other mechanical method of uphill propulsion. Upon reaching the summit, the skier disembarks from the ski lift and travels downhill, propelled by gravity. One should not attempt this unless one has been to ski school or otherwise learned how to turn and stop safely. If this is not the case, one's trajectory is likely to become uncontrollable and one's speed excessive, attenuated only by stationary objects such as trees.

At this juncture, the non-skier might ponder the question of "Why do it do it all then?" Of course there are many possible answers to such a question, perhaps as many as there are skiers but a good simple answer might be "It feels good", kind of like flying. Of course, there is some possiblity of danger but curiously, this is also part of the appeal of the sport. It is possible to achive a union of the mind and the body by practicing this sport where the mind trusts the body to perform in an exceptional manner and the body trusts the mind not lead it off a cliff. A sense of harmony and of peak experience can result resulting in a feeling of wholeness of self.

In skiing's traditional core regions in the snowy parts of Scandinavia, both recreational and competitive skiing is as likely to refer to the cross-country variants as to the internationally more well-known downhill variants.

In addition to their role in recreation and sport, skiing is also used as a means of transport by the military, and many armies train troops for ski warfare. Ski troops played a key role in retaining Finnish independence from Russia during the Winter War, and from Germany during the Lapland War, although the use of ski troops was recorded by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in the 13th century. The sport of Biathlon was developed from military skiing patrols.

Skiing was pronounced "she-ing" at the start of the 20th century, after the Norwegian pronunciation, and was usually written "ski-ing".

For the origins and development of skiing, see the History of skiing.

Skiing Topics

Types of skiing

Alpine skiing (also known as Downhill skiing)
Backcountry skiing (also known as Off Piste skiing)
Cross-country skiing (also known as Nordic skiing)
Extreme skiing
Telemark skiing
Speed skiing
Ski jumping
Ski mountaineering
Ski touring

Turning Techniques

Stem techniques
- The Snowplough - (also known as the wedge) - see snowplough turn
- The Snowplough turn - (also known as the wedge turn or stem turn)
- The Stem Christie
Parallel turn
Telemark turn

Equipment

Competition Events

Alpine Events

Nordic Events

Skiing Organisations

International organisations:

National organisations:

Ski Safety

Ski Lifts

Other

Health and Injuries

Altitude sickness
Human anatomy
- Anterior cruciate ligament
- Fracture
First aid
- Wilderness first aid
Frost bite
Hypothermia
Physical fitness
- Exercise
Snow blindness
List of famous skiing deaths

Related Sports

Referenced By

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Skiing".