Winter Sports - Skiing
Skiing is a sport wherein the skiers glide over snow with the
help of skis made out of wood planks or fiberglass strapped on the feet. Over
the period of years have been many alterations to the original sports like the
cross-country variant and downhill variant. The alterations are Alpine Skiing,
Telemark Skiing, and Nordic Skiing. Skiing is also used by the military as a
means of transportation and training in ski warfare.
Originally skiing was used as a means of transportation in an
ice packed area. Sondre Norheim, from Norway was the father of modern skiing as
he developed slalom form of skiing in the 19th century. His ideas
were later worked on and Telemark Skiing was developed in 1970s. Mathias
Zdarsky from Austria invented the Alpine or downhill skiing. He developed the
firmer bindings to help skiers to better anchor their feet. Some time after
that, Hannes Schneider of Austria invented the Arlberg technique, according to
which the body is rotated to steer the skis.
Not only there are different versions of skiing, but also
there are many competitions, which are held every year for the fans of skiing.
Skiing is a big part of the Winter Olympic games, too. The regions, which are
ideal for skiing, are some parts of Scandinavia and Alaska. Many of the ski
resorts have been constructed in these areas and some of them are specifically
meant for Alpine Skiing.
The visitors have to buy warm clothing, ski, ski poles, and
ski boots. After getting all dressed up, the skiers
can take the gondola lift
or the chair lift to reach the summit. From there the skiers ski downwards
along a marked path called piste or trail or slope. If the skier is interested
in off-piste skiing, he can take the unmarked area and ski in between trees,
which is also known as glade skiing.
Skiing outside the boundaries of the resort is called out of
bounds skiing and is not allowed in some resorts. This can be very dangerous as
there can be a possibility of falling avalanches, which can be a threat to
life. Its advisable to take avalanche training, carry necessary equipments and
to hang out with experienced skiers. In case of emergency, insurance is a must
otherwise the cost of search and the skier himself should bare rescue service.
It is highly recommended that the skiers inform the ski patrol before going out
to ski and check out for bad weather.
It takes a long while to master the art of skiing and the
help of ski schools can be taken to overcome this. Initially trained
instructors ask the leaner to keep the skiing speed low. The terrains and steep
slopes are better avoided. Advanced skiers are made to ski on steep terrains
and the risks taken are much more dangerous than the beginners.
Two basic types of downhill skiing are alpine skiing and
telemark skiing. Telemark skiing involves flexible ski boots and the heels
aren’t locked to the skis. Alpine skiing involves harder ski boots.
Even people with disabilities with the help of outriggers
have practiced downhill skiing; sit skis, ski tip retention devices, ski guides,
colored guide bibs and audible clues. The dangers that can be faced in these
sports are avalanches, collisions, hypothermia, and other illnesses and
sometimes even death.
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