In which country is skiing well developed? Abstract: History of the development of skiing

The first use of skis for sporting purposes can be dated back to the mid-18th century. in 1767. In Norway, for the first time, a competition was held according to specially developed rules, regulations and a program with the results determined and the best skiers rewarded. Despite its early origins, the widespread development of skiing in the world began only in late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century. At the end of the 19th century. Skiing competitions began to be held in all countries of the world. Ski specialization in different countries was different. In Norway great development received cross-country racing, jumping and combined events. In Sweden - cross-country racing. In Finland and Russia there are races on flat terrain. In the United States, the development of skiing was facilitated by Scandinavian settlers. In Japan, skiing received an alpine skiing direction under the influence of Austrian coaches.

In 1910, an international ski congress was held in Oslo with the participation of 10 countries. It established the International Ski Commission, which was reorganized in 1924 into the International Ski Federation.

At the 1st Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix (France, 1924), skiing was represented by cross-country skiing at a distance of 18 and 50 km, ski jumping and Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing).

Became Olympic champion in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined Norwegian skier Tarlif Haug. Ranked in ski jumping III place. Tarlif Haug was the first in the world to be awarded the title of “King of Skis”. In the 16 subsequent games, not a single Olympian was able to repeat or even surpass the record of the world’s first “King of Skis.” For his victories on the track, Haug was awarded 10 Royal Cups. As a sign of his extraordinary sporting achievements, the stern and taciturn Norwegians, for the first time in the world, erected a lifetime monument to Tarlif in his homeland. Story Olympic movement 60-70 knows only 2 cases when athletes received such an honor. Both of them were heroes of the 1924 Olympics. This is the hero of the White Olympics Haug and the hero Summer Olympics Finn Paavo Nurmi.

In the second half of the 19th century, an organized sports movement began to develop in Russia. On December 29, 1895, in Moscow, on the territory of the current Young Pioneers stadium, a Grand opening The first organization in the country leading the development of skis is the Moscow Ski Club. This official date is considered to be the birthday of skiing in our country. In addition to the Moscow Ski Club, the Society of Skiing Fans was created in 1901, and in 1910 the Sokolniki Ski Club. By analogy with the Moscow one, the Polar Star ski club was created in St. Petersburg in 1897. In those years, skiing in Moscow was cultivated in winter time in 11 more clubs, in St. Petersburg in 8 clubs in other sports. In 1910, ski clubs. Moscow united into the Moscow Ski League. The League carried out public leadership of skiing not only in Moscow, but also in other cities of Russia. During the ski season of 1909-1910. was held in Moscow record number There were eighteen competitions, in which 100 participants competed.

On February 7, 1910, 12 skiers from Moscow and St. Petersburg competed for the first individual national championship in the 30 km ski race. The title of the first skier in Russia was awarded to Pavel Bychkov. The first national championship among women was played in 1921; Natalya Kuznetsova won at a distance of 3 km.

The strongest Russian skiers, national champions Pavel Bychkov and Alexander Nemukhin first participated in international competitions in 1913. in Sweden at the Nordic Games. Skiers competed at three distances - 30, 60 and 90 km. Our performance was unsuccessful, but we learned many useful lessons on skiing techniques, ski lubrication, and equipment design. Before the start of the First World War, 5 Russian championships were held. In 1918, skiing was included in the number of academic disciplines first curriculum higher physical education.

By the number of victories at national championships 1910-1954. The highest rating is occupied by Zoya Bolotova, an eighteen-time champion. Among the men, Dmitry Vasiliev was the strongest - 16 victories, he is the first holder of the title “Honored Master of Sports”.

In total for the period 1910-1995. 76 national championships were held at distances from 10 to 70 km for men, and from 3 to 50 km for women. Since 1963, the national championship program has included an ultra-marathon distance for men - 70 km. For women, since 1972, the longest distance has been 30 km, and since 1994. - 50 km.

The record length 4-day men's race was held in 1938, 232 km from Yaroslavl to Moscow. Dmitry Vasiliev won - 18 hours 41 minutes 02 seconds.

The record of the first ski century for the number of victories at the national championships was set by Galina Kulakova - 39 gold medals. Currently known types and disciplines of skiing are differentiated into Olympic, non-Olympic and demonstration.

Olympic skiing sports are included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games, which have been held since 1924. These include: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, skiing, biathlon, freestyle, snowboarding.

In skiing, new competitive exercises are constantly appearing, many of which, as they are introduced, can acquire the official status of a type of skiing, up to inclusion in the Olympic program - they are classified as demonstration exercises: towing a skier, ski flying on hang gliders, descent from mountain peaks, mini -skis; Ski stunts: ski jump from a cliff with a parachute, ski jump from an airplane without a parachute, descent at the speed of a skier and race car driver.

Over the years of participation in the Olympic Games, ski racers of the USSR-CIS among the five leading national teams in the world (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy) have demonstrated enviable leadership stability at the highest level.

Russian skiers achieved phenomenal success, unprecedented in Olympic history, at the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, winning all five races on the most difficult tracks in Hakuba. Three gold medals - two for victories in individual races and one in the relay, as well as silver and bronze medals were brought from Japan by Larisa Lazutina. Winner of three gold medals at the 1998 Games, L. Lazutina, was awarded the highest national state award- Gold star “Hero of Russia”. In 1994, the same award was awarded to the six-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Lyubov Egorova. The real discovery of the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in Nagano was Yulia Chepalova. At the first Olympics in her life, she won the 30 km race. First gold medal Olga Danilova won for the Russian team at a 15 km distance. Modern skiing includes 39 ski disciplines at the Olympic Games in Nagano, 26 competitive ski exercises awaiting Olympic registration, as well as more than 20 exercises that are being established as a “sport”. is called the “queen of sports”, and the rapidly developing skiing, in the retinue of winter Olympic disciplines, is the uncontested “king of sports”.

Skis- one of the most ancient inventions of primitive man. The appearance of skis was due to man's need to hunt for food in winter and move across snow-covered terrain.

Skis appeared everywhere where people lived in conditions snowy winter. The first skis were walking skis. One of the latest finds (A.M. Miklyaev, 1982) was discovered on the territory of the Pskov region. According to experts, this ski is one of the oldest - made about 4,300 years ago.

The origin and development of foreign skiing

The first written documents about the use of sliding skis date back to the 6th-7th centuries. n. e. Gothic monk Jordanes in 552, Greek historians Jordan in the 6th century, Abel the Deacon in 770. describe the use of skis by Laplanders and Finns in everyday life and hunting.

At the end of the 7th century. Historian Verefrid gave detailed description skis and their use by the peoples of the North in hunting animals. King of Norway Olaf Trugvasson according to records 925. represented as a good skier. In 960 skis are mentioned as a training accessory for Norwegian court dignitaries.

The Norwegians were the first to show interest in skiing as a sport. In 1733 Hans Emahusen published the first manual on ski training troops with a clearly sporting bias. In 1767 The first competitions were held in all types of skiing (according to modern concepts): biathlon, slalom, downhill and racing.

The world's first exhibition of various types of skis and ski equipment was opened in Trondheim in 1862-1863. In 1877 The first ski sports society was organized in Norway, and a sports club was soon opened in Finland. Then ski clubs began to function in other countries in Europe, Asia and America. The popularity of ski holidays grew in Norway - the Holmenkollen Games (since 1883), Finland - the Lahtin Games (since 1922), Sweden - the mass ski race " Vasaloppet"(since 1922).

At the end of the 19th century. Skiing competitions began to be held in all countries of the world. Ski specialization varied from country to country. In Norway, cross-country racing, jumping and combined events have gained great development. In Sweden - cross-country racing. In Finland and Russia there are races on flat terrain. In the United States, the development of skiing was facilitated by Scandinavian settlers. In Japan, skiing received an alpine skiing direction under the influence of Austrian coaches.

In 1910, an international ski congress was held in Oslo with the participation of 10 countries. It established the International Ski Commission, which was reorganized in 1924 into the International Ski Federation.

At the 1st Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix (France, 1924), skiing was represented by cross-country skiing at a distance of 18 and 50 km, ski jumping and Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing).

Norwegian skier Tarleef Haug became the Olympic champion in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined. He took third place in ski jumping. TarlifHaug was the first in the world to be awarded the title “ King of skis».

In 16 subsequent games, repeat and, even more so, surpass the record of the first in the world " King of skis“Not a single Olympian could. For his victories on the track, Haug was awarded 10 Royal Cups. As a sign of his extraordinary sporting achievements, the stern and taciturn Norwegians, for the first time in the world, erected a lifetime monument to Tarlif in his homeland.

The origin and development of Russian skiing

In addition to the Moscow Ski Club, the Society of Skiing Fans was created in 1901, and in 1910 the Sokolniki Ski Club. By analogy with Moscow in 1897. a ski club is being created polar Star" In Petersburg. In those years, skiing in Moscow was cultivated in the winter in 11 more clubs, in St. Petersburg in 8 clubs for other sports.

In 1910, ski clubs in Moscow united into the Moscow League of Skiers. The League carried out public leadership of skiing not only in Moscow, but also in other cities of Russia. During the ski season 1909-1910. A record number of competitions were held in Moscow - eighteen, in which 100 participants competed.

In February 1910, the Russian championship was held in a race at a distance of 30 miles. 14 people took part in it. The first champion was P. Bychkov. Just before the Great October revolution Five national championships took place in Russia.

In 1912, Moscow skiers A. Elizarov, M. Gostev, I. Zakharov and A. Nemukhin made the first crossing from Moscow to St. Petersburg. They covered a journey of 680 miles in 12 days, 6 hours and 22 minutes.

In 1913, Russian skiers took part for the first time in the international competition “Northern Games”, held in Sweden. However, they did not perform well (they did not finish the race).

Skiing competitions in pre-revolutionary Russia were held only on flat terrain. Ski equipment was then imported mainly from Finland and Sweden. The technical arsenal of the skiers was also poor: they moved only with the so-called Russian move (the prototype of the modern alternating two-step move).

The tsarist government did not show any concern for the development of sports. Under the conditions of political and economic oppression of the autocracy, the mass development of skiing was out of the question.

History of the development of skiing in the USSR

In the first period of development of Soviet skiing, the level of sportsmanship of Soviet skiers was lower than in the northern regions. European countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland. Soviet skiers did not have sports meetings in skiing with the strongest skiers of foreign national teams until 1948.

In meetings with representatives of the Finnish Workers' Sports Union at the USSR championships in 1926 and 1927. Finnish skiers emerged victorious. Only in the 60 km race in 1926 was D. Vasiliev first. In 1927, the strongest skiers of the USSR took part in cross-country skiing competitions in Finland for the first time at a workers' sports festival near Helsingfors.

None of our skiers at distances of 30, 50 and 15 km entered the first " twenty”, and the women did not take any of the first 10 places in the 3 km run. In 1928, in the Moscow championship with the participation of Finnish skiers from the Workers' Sports Union, Soviet skiers won: among men - Dmitry Vasilyev, and among women - Galina Chistyakova, Antonina Penyazeva-Mikhailova and Anna Gerasimova, who took the first 3 places.

In 1928, Soviet skiers took part in the competitions of the 1st Winter Working Spartakiad in Oslo (Norway). In the men's 30 km race, D. Vasiliev took 2nd place, 5th and 6th places, respectively, Mikhail Borisov (Moscow) and Leonid Bessonov (Tula). Among women at a distance of 8 km, the winner was Varvara Guseva (Vorobeva, Leningrad), and 4th-6th places were taken by Antonina Penyazeva-Mikhailova, Anna Gerasimova (Moscow) and Elizaveta Tsareva (Tula), respectively.

These were the first successes of Soviet skiers. Unfortunately, in the next 6 years, Soviet skiers did not have sports meetings with skiers from other countries, and at the 1935 USSR Championship near Moscow, in the area of ​​​​st. Pervomaiskaya (now Planernaya), Finnish skiers of the workers' sports union, men and women who took part outside the competition, again turned out to be the strongest, demonstrating the peculiar features of the alternating skiing technique.

After this, all sports organizations worked hard to master and improve technology, which, along with the use of new domestic methods of training with increased loads, gave positive results. In February 1936, the strongest Soviet skiers took part in two international cross-country skiing competitions of workers' sports unions in Norway and Sweden.

In the first competition, in the town of Helsås (Norway), our skiers, both men and women, were unable to adapt to the rugged ski slopes and performed poorly. However, in the second competition, in Malmberget (Sweden), they already showed good results: among women in the 10 km race, Muscovites Irina Kulman and Antonina Penyazeva-Mikhailova took the first two places, respectively, and among men in the 30 km race, Dmitry Vasiliev - 4 -th place.

Ski detachments of fighters and scouts, who carried out bold raids behind enemy lines, played a major role in the struggle for freedom and independence of our people. Many of them died heroically on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War and the war with the White Finns of 1939-1940.

Among the strongest ski racers, Leningrader Vladimir Myagkov, champion and prize-winner of the USSR Championship in 1939, died a brave death (posthumously awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union); Fyodor Ivachev from Novosibirsk - prize-winner of the USSR championship in 1939 (posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin, and one of the streets of Novosibirsk was named after him); Muscovite Lyubov Kulakova is a three-time champion and six-time medalist of the national championships of 1937-1941. (posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 11th degree), etc.

In 1948, Soviet cross-country skiers (men) took part in the traditional Holmenkollen Games in Norway, where they met the strongest skiers in the world for the first time and achieved good results. In the 50 km race, Mikhail Protasov (Moscow, " Spartacus") took 4th, and Ivan Rogozhin (Moscow, " Dynamo") - 8th place.

In 1951, Soviet student athletes took part in the competitions of the IX World Winter University Games in Poiana (Romania) for the first time and were winners at all distances cross-country skiing. In the first international competition in the USSR (January 1954) in Sverdlovsk with the participation of the strongest skiers in Finland (among them was Olympic champion Veikko Hakulinen), Czechoslovakia and Poland, Soviet skiers demonstrated considerable success.

Leningrad resident Vladimir Kuzin was the winner in the 30 km race and took 2nd place in the 15 km race. The USSR team won the 4 X 10 km relay race (Fedor Terentyev, Pavel Kolchin, Vladimir Olyashev and Vladimir Kuzin). And after participating in the 1954 World Championships and the 1956 Olympic Games, our skiers began to be considered one of the strongest in the world.

Soviet skiers participated in almost all major international competitions. In 1977, Ivan Garanin won the traditional 85.5 km ultra-marathon ski race, which has been held in Sweden since 1922. In 1974, I. Garanin was second in this race, and in 1972 he took 2nd place V. Vedenin.

Skiing in modern Russia

Talking about skiing modern Russia, we can name six main ones: skiing, freestyle, snowboarding, Nordic combined, ski jumping, cross-country skiing. It is these six species that are included in the list of developing ones in the Russian Ski Sports Association.

Russian athletes are considered one of the best in the world in terms of skiing types sports

Currently, Russian athletes actively participate in the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships. The proof of this is a large number of gold, silver and bronze medals in various disciplines. Since 2000, the development of skiing in Russia has moved to a new, even more improved level.

Increased government attention and increased sponsorship are indicators of the importance of skiing to the country. And all this does not remain in vain: Russian athletes continue to replenish " piggy bank"The national team with all three prize medals.

Olympic champions and medalists in skiing are presented in more detail in Appendix 2.

Komi are a people of hunters. This means that the main occupation, one might say, profession of Komi men, and often women, until relatively recently was hunting. This type of activity involved the exploration of vast territories; hunters often hunted hundreds of kilometers from their home. And if the summer is reliable vehicle If you had a boat, you could only travel on off-road winter roads on skis. It is no coincidence that the heroes of Komi legends, Pera and Yirkap, are skiers, and Yirkap’s skis, made of a magic tree, obeyed his mental orders and had incredible speed - the stove did not heat up, and the hero managed to fly to his fishing grounds 300 kilometers from the village and return back.
According to legend, it was Yirkap who discovered Lake Sindor and included it in his hunting grounds. Not far from Lake Sindori, on the I Vissky peat bog, archaeologists found a fragment of a ski with a respectable age of eight thousand years. This is the oldest ski found on the planet, so we can assume that Komi is the birthplace of skis! But here's what's interesting: the curved end of the ski is crowned with a skillfully carved elk's head. It's hardly just decoration. The ancient hunter, who carved the head of an elk, probably believed that by doing this he would magically give his skis the incredible speed of an elk running through the taiga. Why not the magical Yirkap ski!
The Komi used two types of skis: covered with kamus - skin from the legs of elk or deer - lyz - and golitsy, lampa. Each hunter had both types of skis: camo skis for constant use, and lamp skis for wet weather and walking on crusty snow. Skis were most often made from spruce; birch was also used, although less frequently. Each hunter chose the length of the skis according to his height - from one and a half to two meters with a width of fourteen to seventeen centimeters. To prevent the foot from slipping, they made a special platform for the foot, onto which several layers of birch bark were nailed. The ends of the skis were steamed in hot water and bent on a special device in the form of a log with a cutout along the desired bending arc. Often the ends of the skis were not bent, but the bend was planed from a wooden blank. Each hunter made the lampshades himself, but covering them with kamus required special skill, so the lampshades were made by experienced specialists. A pair of skis took sixteen to eighteen kamus, that is, at least four animals were required, so such skis were very expensive, their price in the old days reached four to five rubles. We handled skis with care, tried not to use them in wet weather, and did not bring them indoors until they were dry. The lamps were covered with a layer of paint on top, and in damp weather they were greased with lard to prevent snow from sticking to them. The skis lasted about five years.
Ski poles in modern form They didn’t know, but when walking they used a special hunting staff, koybed. It had a spatula at the upper end, and an iron spear-shaped tip at the lower end. When walking, the koybed replaced a ski pole, and when shooting, it was used as a bipod - a support for a gun. They used a shovel to dig up snow for spending the night in the forest, dug up a squirrel that had fallen into the snow, used a tip to make a hole in the ice to get water, and, on occasion, could even use it as a spear.
Komi hunters still use lamps today, although they buy lyz golits in the store. In forest conditions, lamps are more practical and convenient. Recently, they even began to hold skiing competitions on lamps, and a corresponding name was invented - Lampiada. Skiers gather for these competitions not only from the Komi Republic, but from all over Russia. Maybe the time is not far when skiers from all over the world will come to the Lampiada.

In areas covered with snow for months at a time, man, even in ancient times, was forced to create objects that would provide him with the opportunity to move through the snow, especially in winter, since hunting was vital for him.

In accordance with different types In ancient times, these projectiles had different purposes: they either prevented immersion in snow (these were round or oval snow rims), or allowed rapid gliding across the plain.

The sliding ski was especially suitable for chasing fleeing game.

F. Nansen in his work “In Snow Shoes Across Greenland” names the Altai Mountains as the supposed homeland of sliding skis. From there, skiing spread mainly through snowy regions in the northern and northwestern direction to Scandinavia and further, to Central Europe. At the same time, from the initially wide and convex-shaped skis, they turned into long and narrow ones.

4000-5000-year-old stone images found near Lake Onega and on the Norwegian Lake Redey reveal shapes similar to today's skis. Bog (peat) finds from Northern Europe are found to be 2,500 years old. But in Chinese, Greek and Roman chronicles there are descriptions of cross-country skiing.

In the Middle Ages, Nordic knights and peasants cultivated cross-country skiing, especially between 800 and 1250. In the 18th century In Scandinavia, paired skis of unequal length were used. The shorter one was covered with fur for better repulsion, while the longer ski allowed wide gliding. Only one human-length stick was used, in most cases without a ring.

In Central European countries, cross-country skiing was unknown until the 19th century. Peasants from the Ljubljana region in the Julian Alps showed amazing results in the descents. They used short skis and only one pole. When the direction of movement changed, it became the center of rotation.

The birthplace of modern skiing is Norway. Here, already in 1733, a service order was issued for ski detachments of troops. In 1767, the first military sports competitions took place in the region of Christiania, present-day Oslo, and in 1843 the first official ski races took place in Torms.

Around 187S in Southern Norway the area Telemark became special place development of skiing. The presenters were the brothers M. and T. Hemmestweit, as well as S. Nordheim. Along with running on the plain, they practiced jumping from hills or from constructed snow jumps.

The first jumps were performed with bent legs. Later the straightened position was established. The long stick, which was originally used for jumping, was soon replaced by a short stick or branch, and finally they began to jump without sticks. The rollout ended, as it does today, with the rotation of the skis. In this case, either the outer ski along the arc was brought forward in the desired direction (telemark), or the inner ski along the arc was placed in a crossing (Christian).

In 1910, the International Ski Commission was created. She established competition rules and international competitions. At the 10th session of the Commission in Chamonix in 1924, it was transformed into International Federation skiing (FIS). Currently it includes more than 50 countries. In 1925, the first FIS races took place, which began to be considered official world championships only in 1937 and are now held every 4 years. Skiing has been an Olympic sport since 1924.

Skis- This is a device for moving a person through the snow. They are two long (150-220 centimeters) wooden or plastic strips with pointed and curved toes.

Skis are attached to the feet using bindings; nowadays, special ski boots are required to use skis in most cases. Skis move using their ability to glide over snow.

Exact date, place, name of the inventor of the device on legs for fighting snow has not been established. The first devices that people used to move more easily through deep snow were undoubtedly snowshoes or walking skis.

HISTORY OF SKIING

The history of skiing goes back several thousand years, as confirmed by rock paintings in caves in Norway made about 7,000 years ago. It all started from the moment when a man discovered that by tying two pieces of wood of a special shape to his feet, he could move faster through snow-covered fields and forests while hunting. Many centuries later, approximately in the middle of the 16th century, skis began to be used by the armies of the Scandinavian countries, and a little later the military were put on skis in Russia.

About the appearance of skis in ancient Rus' before the beginning of our era is evidenced by studies of rock carvings off the shores of Lake Onega and White Sea. On the rocks located near the village of Zalavruga near the Fortieth Bay of the White Sea, where Porop Cherny is located on the Vyg River, primitive man left carved inscriptions and drawings that have survived to this day. Among the many rock carvings discovered by the expeditions of A.M. Linevsky (1926) and V.I. Ravdonikas (1936), some have also been found that provide indisputable evidence of the invention of skis by primitive man of the Neolithic era many thousands of years BC. Moreover, even then they were sliding skis.

Over the entire period of the evolution of ski equipment, which is several thousand years, there have been very different variants skis, boots and poles. The first devices for moving on snow, naturally, were more similar to modern snowshoes, but over time they transformed, became longer and narrower to increase speed, they could already slide on the snow with their own appearance looked like the skis we were used to.

The first ski shoes did not have a rigid sole and were simply tied to the skis, since there were no special fastenings. This was the case until the 30s of the 20th century, when welt boots appeared, which were actively used by skiers until the 70s.

Interesting story They also have sticks. It turns out that until the end of the 19th century, skiers used only one pole. This is due to the fact that skis were used mainly for hunting and in the army. The first sticks were wooden or bamboo, approximately the height of a person. Only in our time have sticks become a product high technology, are made from lightweight aluminum or composite materials.

Later, skis began to be used, covered underneath with the skin of elk, deer or seal with a short pile located back, which made it possible to avoid slipping when climbing uphill. There is evidence that northern and eastern peoples glued skins to skis using glue made from the antlers, bones and blood of elk, deer or fish scales.

In order for the skier's weight to be evenly distributed along the entire length of the skis, they were given a smooth curvature, called the weight deflection. In order for the skis to keep their tracks better and maintain direction, a depression was made in the sliding surface - a groove.

For greater strength and flexibility, skis began to be made from several layers of wood of different species: birch, ash, beech, hickory. So that the sliding surface does not wear out so quickly, does not become “round” and has better traction with snow, it began to be edged with especially strong wood, and over time - with metal edges.

Russian pre-revolutionary historians repeatedly mentioned in their works that in addition to hunting, skis in Rus' were often used during holidays and winter folk entertainment, where strength, agility, and endurance were demonstrated in “race” running and in descents from slopes. Along with other entertainment and exercises (fist fighting, horse riding, various games and fun), skiing played an important role in the physical development of the Russian people. Swedish diplomat Palm, who visited the 17th century. in Rus', testified to the widespread use of skiing in the Moscow state. He described in detail the skis used local residents, and the Russians’ ability to move quickly on them.

The most ancient skis are in the Ski Museum in Oslo: their length is 110 cm, width 20 cm. Hunters had skis of approximately the same size for many centuries: such skis are still used by hunters and trappers of Greenland, Alaska, residents of the North, Siberia, Far East.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, skiing appeared - a type of leisure activity that involved skiing at speed or for pleasure. Skis with different proportions appeared, more suitable for high-speed running - 170-220 cm long and 5-8 cm wide. The same skis began to be used in the army. Around the same time, ski poles appeared, significantly facilitating and speeding up skiing.

According to historians, the first ski competitions took place in 1844 in the Norwegian city of Tremsey. At the dawn of skiing, flat skis were not much different from mountain skis, and competitions often, in addition to running on the plain, included skiing from the slopes of the surrounding mountains and ski jumping.

Today ski disciplines are very diverse. These include races of 5, 15, 20, 30 and even 50 kilometers (ski marathon). Running is carried out in both classic and free style.

In addition, skiing sports also include various competitions related to movement in the mountains - slalom, downhill, ski jumping, freestyle.

Most ski disciplines are included in the program of competitions such as the World Cup and Olympic Games.

Modern history Russian skiing began in 1992, when the Russian Ski Racing Federation was approved. The Federation is a member of the Russian Olympic Committee and is recognized by it as the only one public organization, which has exclusive rights to manage the development of cross-country skiing in the Russian Federation, as well as the right to represent this type sports on behalf of Russian Federation in the international sports and Olympic movement.