Editing History of skiing (section)

===Ski samples===

The first primitive Scandinavian ski was found in a peat [[bog]] in Hoting in [[Jämtland County]] in [[Sweden]]; it dates back to 4500 or 2500 BCE. In 1938 a ski was found from [[Salla]], Finland that has been dated back to 3245 BCE. Noted examples are the [[Kalvträskskidan]] ski, found in [[Sweden]] and dated to 3300 BCE, and the [[Vefsn Municipality|Vefsn]] [[Nordland]] ski, found in [[Norway]] and dated to 3200 BCE.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://snl.no/ski/historikk |title=Ski |website=[[Store norske leksikon]] |access-date=May 25, 2013}}</ref> There are some 20 findings of ancient well-preserved skis found in drained bogs in Norway, indicating that skis have been widely used in Norway, particularly Northern Norway, since prehistoric times. Skis have also been uncovered in ancient graves.<ref name=Gotaas>{{cite book |last=Gotaas |first=Thor |date=2011 |title=Norge: skisportens vugge |location=Oslo |publisher=Font forlag |isbn=978-8-28169-091-2}}</ref>{{pn|date=April 2025}} In 2014, a ski complete with leather bindings emerged from a [[glacier]] in the [[Reinheimen National Park|Reinheimen]] mountains, Norway. The binding is at a small elevated area in the middle of the 172&nbsp;cm long and 14,5&nbsp;cm wide ski. According to the report the ski is some 1300 years old. Many organic artifacts have been well preserved for several thousand years by the stable glaciers of [[Oppland]] county and emerge when glaciers recede.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrk.no/ho/varmere-klima-avslorer-fortida-1.11971057 |title=Fant 1300 år gammel ski i Reinheimen |last1=Nordrum |first1=Ivar Arne |last2=Bratterud |first2=Liv-Iren |name-list-style=amp |date=October 6, 2014 |website=NRK News |access-date=October 11, 2014}}</ref> A ski excavated in [[Greenland]] is dated to 1010.<ref>{{cite web |last=Olsen |first=Jan |title=Wiping the snow off Greenland's oldest ski|url=http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/wiping-the-snow-off-greenland-s-oldest-ski-1.224227#.UGEBoaTyba4 |website=[[Independent Online]] |access-date=25 September 2012}}</ref> Based on findings in the Nordic countries and elsewhere, researchers have identified at least three main types of ski: arctic, southern and central Nordic. The arctic type was short and covered with fur, and used from northern Japan in the east to [[Ob river]] in the west. The Sami people probably brought this type to the Nordic region. The southern type had one short and one long ski, and was used in forest areas of Southern Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. The central Nordic type also had one short with fur (the ''andor'') and one long, and was used in large parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland.<ref name=Gotaas />

In 2021, a well-preserved ski at {{convert|187|cm}} length and up to {{convert|17|cm}} wide was found near a shrinking glacier at an elevation of 1000 meters in [[Reinheimen National Park|Reinheimen]] (at a mountain plateau between [[Lesjaskogsvatnet]] and [[Skjåk]]), Norway. It is estimated to be 1300 years old (that is, from around the year 700). A ski found in 2014 at the same location (some five meters from last find) is believed to belong to the same pair so that the two skis constitute the world's oldest complete set. The skis are made of birch and have leather bindings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nrk.no/innlandet/1300-ar-gammel-ski-funnet-i-reinheimen-nasjonalpark-1.15676756 |title=Nå er 1300 år gammelt skipar komplett. Dette er verdenshistorie |last1=Malmo |first1=Marianne Duun |last2=Sørenes |first2=Arne |last3=Vollan |first3=Mette |date=5 October 2021 |website=NRK |access-date=15 October 2021}}</ref>