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The History Of Ski Holidays
By: Anna Stenning

One of the most popular kinds of activity holiday was once a form of transportation and a means for gathering food and supplies. This is of course skiing in the Alps or taking part in ski holidays Chamonix or Meribel. This kind of activity accommodates for people on various levels so you do not need to be a professional experienced skier, as beginner skiers can enjoy skiing with instructors and tutorial lessons at hand.

Historically ski holidays in Chamonix, Meribel and Les Gets, were something not seen as a recreational activity. The Nordic and the Samis people, who were originally from Norway, Sweden and Finland, invented skiing. They used skiing as a means of transportation from end of the area to the end of the area, which was mainly for hunting and gathering food. This was also used for military purposes as well, and is depicted in some old carvings.

One ski was found in Hoting, Sweden that is traced back as far as 2500 or 4500 BC. The conditions in which the early skiers would ski were harsh and it was common for young children to be strapped to the back. The word ski derives from the old Nordic word 'skio', which literally means split piece of wood. The oldest know ski dates back as far as 980AD, which was brought back by the Norsemen in the Greenlands.

Early recordings of cross country skiing dates as far back as 1206 AD, which may have been held due to the civil war in Norway during the Medieval period. Modern cross-country skiing and ski sports can now be seen when taking part in ski holidays Chamonix, Les Gets and Tignes; each of these not only allow for holiday experiences but also hold large ski sporting events. These events have evolved somewhat since the earlier recordings of cross-country skiing.

Early skiing was simple and purely a method of travelling to places faster than they would have done on foot or using snowshoes. Birkebeinerrennet in Norway pays homage to its historical counterparts because of the earlier forms of cross-country skiing. As it is one of the oldest forms of extreme sports, it thrives on today making it one of the top activity holiday choice and recreational event.

It was not until around 1850 that skiing became more of a recreational sporting activity, and was introduced by Sondre Norheim. Prior to this, it was a transportation method and was relatively unknown in other countries.

Our modern day skiing has seen people take part in snowboarding, which has a close connection with skiing and surfing. This is also something which is popular within Chamonix especially, as Chamonix offers different hill slopes and mountain experiences. Many have come up with their own style of skiing and regularly take part in skiing as a holiday experience rather than a survival trek.