I've seen a lot of questions on how people get into ski jumping. Now it's easy to believe people start by seeing it on tv, or having a sibling participating, but how did it actually start?
The word ski comes from the old Norse word - skíð, meaning stick of wood. In Norse mythology we even have gods of skiing - Skadi and Ullr.
Rock art and fragments of wood suggests ski's have been around since 8000 BC and the earliest having been found in Northern China. The 1994 winter olympics in Lillehammer, Norway used a 5000 year old pictographs of a skiing man as inspiration for their graphics. This particular pictogram located in Norway has in recent times sadly been vandalized.
So skiing has been a method of transportation for a very long time. In 1206 two men of the Birkebeiner rebellious party Torstein Skevla og Skjervald Skrukka escorted the two year old King's son Håkon Håkonsson from the Lillehammer area to safety in Trondheim from his enemies - Baglerne. Today a cross country race is held in their memory where the participants must carry a backpack to symbolizes little Håkon.
The first ski races happened in the 1700s as military exercises. Norwegian skiing regiments organized military skiing contests in the 18th century, divided into four classes: shooting at mark while skiing at top speed, downhill race among trees, downhill race on big hills without falling, and a long race on flat ground while carrying a rifle and military pack. So as you hear ski jumping was invented with people getting from A to B. Here you also see how biathlon was invented. During the late 1800s Norwegian skiers participated in all branches (jumping, slalom, and cross-country) often with the same pair of skis. Now these sports have been divided except for Nordic combined which do both ski jumping and cross country skiing. The first recorded ski jumping competition was held in Trysil, Norway in 1862. The first recorded female ski jumper was recorded the year after, also in Trysil. In 2022 female ski jumpers still don't have the same rights as men, but did you know the first club that accepted them has been around since the end of the 1800s?
Morgedal, Telemark in Norway is called the cradle of skiing fostering people like Sondre Norheim, the father of modern skiing. He was one of many who emigrated to America where many taught and showed skiing to the people. The first American club still existing today was founded in 1872. Ski jumping has even been showcased in America in circus events with the Ringling brothers etc. Ski jumping has later spread to all corners of the world having had temporary hills on all continents.
Additional important dates:
1809 - Olaf Rye, first known ski jumper and first record holder with 9.5 meters. Today this record is held by Austrian Stefan Kraft with 253.5 meters.
1892 - Ski jumping competition were moved to Holmenkollen, Oslo where competitions are still hosted today.
1924 - Ski jumping for men is a part of the first olympic winter games. 90 years later in 2014 the women are allowed to compete, however still with not as many events.
If you would like to read more on ski jumping history please follow my tag - #vintagesj
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