It may be little bold to say that Norway gave skiing to the world. However, if we fast forward as few thousand years, a man's skill and stamina on skis was clearly a noteworthy and contested quality. Of course, others around the kings were also good skiers and occasionally there were competitions that resulted. One famous race pitted King Harold against a young unknown named Heming. King Harold thought that nobody could match him on skis, and went so far as to proclaim that thought quite publicly.
Legend has it that the youngster won.
One particular race with death and the future of an entire country at stake occurred in the year 1206 and still lives prominently in the modern XC ski culture. King H kon was attempting to unify Norway, and not everyone wanted to go along, especially other tribal leaders of the time. Thanks to their heroic efforts, the boy lived to become a king that expanded Norway's boundaries beyond what they had ever been, or would be again. Food, drink, and first aid is available from well-wishers along the course. Looking back 100 years or so, it is important to realize that the extreme specialization that we see today within skiing was not always present.