The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-03-10 00:00:00

A PERILOUS PASTIME.

It is stated that Dr. F. Nansen, of the Bergen
Museum, Norway, who thinks of journeying across
Greenland next summer from east to west, intends to
land on the east coast at Cape Dan (60 deg. N.), and
proceed in a north-westerly direction to Disco Bay.
,He will be accompanied by three men—a Norwegian
soldier well known for his prowess on "ski," or snow-
runners, and two Lapps, probably the same who ac-
companied Nordenskiiild. In order to qualify himself
for the contemplated task, Dr. Nansen is preparing to
travel on " ski " from Bergen to Christiania, right
across the mountains of Central Norway—a feat
never before accomplished by anyone. It may not he
generally known that " ski " running is to the Nor-
wegian what base-ball is to the American, or cricket
to the Briton—the national sport. It is also some-
thing more; it 4 a necessaa.y and practical mode
of locomotion, as is skating to the Dutch-
man, and snow-shoeing to the denizen of the
Canadas. Broken by hills, and crossed by valleys, the
Norwegian Fatherland when wrapped in its winter
mantle of deep snow presents difficulties to travellers
requiring extraordinary means to surmount. Heavily
drifted, the roads become well-nigh impassable to
horses for long periods, and then the only means of
communication from farm-house to farm-house and
hamlet to hamlet_ is pedestrian. In this strait the
_ _ _ _ _ _ _

turdy Norseman binds upon his legs his long, fleet
skis," and flies easily and gracefully over the drifts
ni shoots like lightning down the hil4And steep
lountain sides, and out of stern necessitytms learned
) draw a vigorous amusement._ The history of the
_ _

ski" is the history of the wonderful people who use
it as a birthright. Norse mythology is full of it, and
some of the most stirring passages in Norwegian his-

tory draw their romance' from he bold and daring
feats of hardy " ski " runners. The I." ski," pro-
nounced softly and defiantly "she," familiar
and dear to the runner as his sweetheart often-
times, is a long and narrow strip of wood, often pine,
better of hard wood, made with a curling nose to over-
ride the snow, and bearing near its centre a strap and
rest for the foot of the rider or "runner." The length
varies according to the strength of the runner and the
purpose of the "ski," seldom exceeding 10 feet, how-
ever. For mountain and dense forest travelling they
are made shorter, and for military manceuvres when
worn by soldiers are of unequal length, to facilitate
turning readily. Generally they present only the
wooden surface to the snow, but sometimes, especially
when designed for travel where many hills are to be
ascended, their bottoms are covered with deer hide,
the hair pointing backward, and acting as a secure
anchor against retrogression. They solve the problem
of walking on the snow on the same principle as the
more clumsy and slower plaited snow shoe familiar in
American forests, by dividing the weight of the wearer
over a large surface. The American snow shoe is also
in use in Norway, but, as was remarked by an expert
runner, " it is too slow for men, and we give it to
old women and put it on horses." The feats
of skill and dexterity performed on their "skis " by
expert runners are wonderful. On a level surface
they move as fast as a good horse, but it is coming
down bill that they show their mettle. Curving
gracefully over the crest, as the slope grows steeper
they gather speed like lightning, until, with full
headway, they shoot through the air with the speed
of a railroad train, fairly taking away the breath of
the daring runner with the rapid motion. A well-
authenticated account is current in Norway that one
Finnish woman, a very expert runner, one day tried
the decent of a peculiarly steep mountain side, and
attained such fearful speed that when those who
awaited her at the end of her bird-like flight received
her she stood bolt upright on her " skis " dead, the
breath driven from her lips by her swift descent. The
"hop "is the most difficult and dangerous of the many
feats of the" ski "runner. In descending hills, broken
spots and small precipices areoften met with, and over
these the careful and the timid runners simply
slide, but expert and venturesome runners augment
the danger and the excitement at the same time by
leaping into the air just at the verge of the
.cliff,
landing far heyond the point where the sliding
runner would alight. In the races and games with
the " skis," a " hop " is generally made by building
up a cliff with snow at some convenient point of the
declivity, and this is made high according to the skill
and daring of the runners. One moment on the
earth, a sudden spring, and away he flies through
the air, 50, 70, 100 feet, enough of a fall, one would
think, to break up every bone in his sturdy body, but
landing safely and gracefully and shootiag away on
his course. As a national pastime "ski" running
has attracted the widest attention in Norway, the
royal family lending the enthusiasm of their presence
to the yearly carnival.

IT may be said of a hatter, however small may be
his ambition, that he is generally making himself
felt. -

-Mlll

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