The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-12
A NORWEGIAN SPORT.
The National Pastime of the
Sturdy Norseman is SKI"
Binding on the "Skis," He
CIideS Down the Mountains.

/ cricket to the BrltOn-the national
sport. 1t IS also something more; 1t is
a neces AIRY and practical mode of loco
motion, as is skating to the Dutchman,
and snow-shocing to the denizen of the
! C1nadas. Broken by hills, and crossed
! by valleys, the NorweIia4 fatheriand
when wrapped in its winter mantel of
deep snow presents difficulties to trav-
elcrs requiring extraordinary 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 farmhouse and hamlet to ham
let IS pedestrian. In this strait the
sturdy Norseman binds upon his legs
his long fleet ''ski3' and flies easily and
gracefully over tho drifts and shoots
like lightning down the hills and steep
mouutIin sides, and out Of stern neces-
slty has learned to draw a vigorous
amusement. The history of the ''ski"
is the history of the wonderful people
| u
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 fcats of hardy SKI runners.
The SKI, pronounced softly and de
family "ahn, " familiar and dear to the
runner as his sweetheart oftentimes, is
| IO1rc orJ Dorro,,v o+r;D Of 1uOoI Of+oD
pine, better Of hard wood, made with a
curling nose to override 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 pur-
| pose of the "5ki," seldom exceeding
ten feet, however. For mountain and
| dense forest travelling they are made
shorter and for military maneuvres,
when worn by soldiers, are of unequal
length to facilitate turning readily.
Generally they present only the wood
en- surface to the snow, but some
times, especially when designed for
travel where many hills are to be as
cended, 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 plated snowshoe familiar in
American forests, by dividing the
weight of the. wearer over a large sur
face The American snowshoe 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 speel and dexterity per-
formed on their ''skis' by expert run
ners are wonderful. On a level surface
they move as fast as good horse, but
it is coming down hill that they show
their mettle. Curving gracefully over
the crest, as the slope grows sleeper
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.
4 we'll authenticated account is Gu rrent
in Norway that one Finnish woman, a
very expert runner, oac day tried the
descent of a peculiarly steep mountain
side, and attained such fearful speed
that when those who awaited her at the
end of her bird-Iikc flight received her,
she stood bolt upright Oh her "skis,"
dead, the breath literally ravished from
her lips by her rapid descent. The
chop is the most difficult and danger
Gus of the many feats OF tho "5ki' run
ner. In descending hills, broken spots
and small precipices are often met with,
and over these the careful and the timid
runners simply slide, but expert
and venturesome runners augmen
the danger aad the cxcitement
at the same time by loaping into the air
just at the verge of the cliff, landing
far beyond the point where the sliding
runner would alight In the races and
games WIFI INC ShlS, "a mop Is gen
orally made by building up cliff with
snow at some convenient point of the
dcclivity, and this is made high accord
ing to the skill and daring of the run
ners. One moment on the earth, a
sudden spring, and away he flies through
the air, so, 20, 100 feet, enough of a
fall, one would think to break every
bone in his sturdy body, but landing
safely and gracefully and shooting 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. In this country it is
only recently coming into notice, aud
I Minneapolis is entitled to the need of
having been the home of the first ''skr
club ever organized in America--[ Min
neapolis Journal.