The Four Hills Tournament has been held since 1953. It takes place on the hills in Germany (Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen) and Austria (Innsbruck, Bischofshofen). The winner is the athlete who has scored the most points in all four competitions combined. 1)
Telemark is a technique used when descending with a cross-country (free-foot) binding. It consists of turning by kneeling on one leg. This technique was popularized by Norwegian Sondre Norheim, who demonstrated it in 1868 during a ski jumping competition. It dominated skiing shortly thereafter - and was very popular until the 1910s when downhill techniques using ski bindings with rigid feet began to spread in Alpine countries. 2)
The most successful alpine skier in Olympic history is Norway's Kjetil André Aamodt. Between 1992 and 2006 he won eight medals - four gold, two silver, and two bronze. He remains the only alpinist to have four Olympic championship titles to his credit. Alberto Tomba, Toni Sailer, and Jean-Claude Killy each won three gold medals. 3)
Alpine skiing is a downhill competition. Meanwhile, Finland is flat (except for small mountains in the far north), so there are no suitable training conditions. Finland's entire Olympic record in alpine skiing is just one silver medal in the giant slalom. It was won by Tanja Poutiainen in 2006. 4)
Although Australia is primarily associated with desert climates, there are several well-developed ski resorts in the mountains of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. These are within the weekend getaways of many Australians. Residents of Canberra are only a two-hour drive to the ski resorts of New South Wales, while the Mount Baw Baw resort is only 120 km from Melbourne. 5)
The word “ski” comes from the Old Norse word “skíð”, which means a stick of wood. 6)
The first ski club was founded by three Norwegians in Australia in 1861. 7)
Skiing was included in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1924. 8)
The longest ski run in the world is the Vallée Blanche in Chamonix, France. It is 13.7 miles (22 kilometers) long. 9)
The first ski lift was built in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1936. 10)
Skiing is one of the few sports that can be done indoors. There are several indoor ski slopes around the world. 11)
The world record for the fastest ski speed is held by the Italian skier Simone Origone, who reached a speed of 156.2 mph (251.4 km/h). 12)
Cross-country skiing is the oldest type of skiing, dating back over 4,000 years. 13)
The first ski jump competition was held in Norway in 1862. 14)
The sport of freestyle skiing, which includes events like moguls, aerials, and halfpipe, was added to the Olympics in 1992. 15)
Snowboarding was first invented in the 1960s, but it wasn't until the 1990s that it became a popular sport. 16)
The first artificial snow was produced in 1950 by a ski resort in Vermont, USA. 17)