The weekly Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 1882-188?, 1888-03-01
CLINTON, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY MARCH |, 1885,

A, THURSDAY. MA.
A NORWEGIAN SPORT.
The National Pastime of the
Sturdy Norseman is ski"
Binding on the Skis" He
Clides Down the Mountains.
Ski running Is TO the Norwegian
LIT lsse-ball Is to the American. or
!. q the Britoi-sh. n..ian.,
sp 80 akso soneI 80 nor. aA :,
q .iis = sssos sssos
and snow4shocing 10 d51lzl
c.nadas. Broken b hills, and crossed
by valleys, the Norwegian fatherland
when wrapped IN its winter mantel Of
deep snow presents difficulties to trav-
elers requiring extra ordinary means to
surmount. Heavily drifted, the roads
become wcll-nIgh impossible to horses
for long periods, and then the only
means of communication from farm
house to farm-hous and hamlet to ham
let is pedestrian. In this strait the
sturdy Norscmau binds upon his legs
his long fleet Skis" and flies easily and
gracefully over tho drifts and shoots
like lightning down the hills and steep
mountain sides, and out of stern neces-
slty has learned to draw vigorous
amusement. The history of the "ski"
is the history of the wonderful people
who use it as tir,hright. Morse
mythology Is full of it. and some of the
most stirring passages in Norwegian his
tory draw their roman ce from the bold
and daring feats of hardy "ski'' runners.
The "ski," pronounced softly and de-
family "shn," familiar and dear to the
runner as his sweetheart oftentimcs, is a
long and narrow strip of wood, often
pine, better of hard wood, made with a
curling nose to override the snow, and
bearing near its centre strap and rest
for the foot of the rider or ''runner. "
The length varies according to the
strength of tho runner and the pur-
pose of the ski" seldom exceeding
ten feet, however. For mountain and
dense forest travelling they are made
shorter and for military mapeuvres,
when worn by soldiers, are of unequal
Generally they present only the wood
en- surface to the snow, but some
times, especially when designed fol
travel where many hills are to be as
cended, their bottoms are covered with
deer hide, the hair pointing backward,
and acting as secure anchor against
retrogression. They solve the problem
of walking on the snow on the same
principle as the more clumsy and
slower plated snowshoe familiar in
American forests, by dividing the
weight of the wearer over large sur.
face. The American snowshoe is also
in use in Norway, but. as was remarked
Ly an expert runner, cit is too slow fo
men, and we give it to old women and
put it on horses"
The feats of speed and dexterity per
formed on their "skis" by expert run
ners are wonderful. On level surface
they move as fast as q good horse, bu
it is coming down hill that they shoy
their mettle. Curving gracefully owe
the crest, as the slope grows steepe
they gather speed like lightning, until
with full Roadway, they shoot throug1
the air with the speed of railroad
train, fairly taking away the breath o
the daring runner with the rapid motion
A we'll authenticated account is Gu rren
in Norway that one Finnish W oman,
very expert runner, oae day tried tn
descent of peculiarly steep mouutai
side, and attained such fearful spec
that when those who awaited her at til
end of her bird-like fight received hel
she stood bolt upright on her "skis,
dead, the breath literally ravished frol
her lips by her rapid descent. II
shop" is the most dl icult aud DANCE
4 osas of the many foes 81 ths .sski run
ner. In descending Aills, broken spot
and small precipices are often met will
and over these the care full and the timi
runners simply slide, but expe
and venturesome runners augmcE
!. the danger and the exciteme'
at the same time by leaping into the
just at the verge of the cliff, landir
far beyond the point where the slidir
runner would alight. In the races ar
games with the "skis," chop is ge
, orally made by building up a cliff wi
snow at some convenient point OF t
dcclivity, and this is made high accor
3 ing to the skill and daring of the ru
ners. One moment on the earth,
sudden spring, and away he flies throu|
c the air, so, 20, 100 feet, enough of
o fall, one would think to break eve
Y bone in his sturdy body, but landir
: safely and gracefully and shooting aw
q on his course.
t As a national pastime "skT' runni
h has attracted the widest attention
Y Norway, the royal family lending t
enthu :iasm of their presence to t
yearly carnival. In this country 1t
only recently coming into notice, az
II Minneapolis is entitled to the NEED
h having been the home of the first .
J. club ever organized in America--lN
If neapolis Journal.