Posted by CHRISTEENA on Feb. 28, 2014, 5:29 p.m.
Skiing was used in warfare in Scandinavia from the 13th century or earlier, and military skiing continued into the 21st century.
The earliest mode of skiing developed into the sport now called cross-country skiing. Competitive cross-country skiing began in Norway in the 1840s. Ski-jumping competitions date from the 1870s. Alpine, or downhill, skiing developed later in the mountainous terrain of the Alps in central Europe. Through the years there has been fierce competition among the skiers of various countries. Rivalries helped produce many great champions in skiing history whose style and technique have influenced millions of recreational skiers.
Downhill skiing, which attracts the majority of skiing enthusiasts today, was once limited by the need to climb the hill before or after skiing down; the building of ski lifts began in the 1930s. Skis were originally made of a single piece of wood, usually hickory; laminated construction began in the 1930s, and plastic running surfaces were introduced in the 1950s. By the 1990s skis were typically made by surrounding a foam core with wood, wrapping both layers with fiberglass combined with Kevlar, aluminum, titanium, or carbon for strength, and finally adding a plastic base.
The business of skiing began its serious growth in the 1930s and became explosive in the 1950s and '60s; huge resorts now dot the Austrian, Swiss, and Italian Alps, the Rocky Mountains, and other mountainous regions around the world.