The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-06-24
rHE LAPLANogR,s sNow-sHoEs.
PecuIiarities OF Their COpstructiOn-HoVN
the LapP Makes Headway Upon Them.

PecuJiarities of Their COpstructiOn-Ho
the Lapp Makes Headway Upon Them.
rChicago Timesl
Says an observer in these regions de-
scribing the Lapp snoW-shoe. or ''ski,
or "skidor:" ''There are two ribs of
birch or fir, six feet long, four to five
inches broad, and about half an inch
thick. In the middle, on the upper
side, is followed, smooth spot for the
foot, above which there is strap, the
space allowing the insertion of che point
of the shoe. On the other side a groove
runs along the entire center. The ski
is pointed and slightly curved at one
end, and the edges rounded. 1t might
be added that the ''skidOr" is a solid
piece of wood, like a weatherboard or
haitian, turned up in front, and de-
ponds for its bearing surface on the
snow on its extreme length-five or six
feet-rather than by a wide spread as
in the common snow-shoe of bent form
and cross weaving of thongs. The
common snOw-shoes, like those used by
some of our mountain Indians, are,
however, used in few parts of arctic
Europe, but mostly among the Nor
wegians and Firms.
The Lapp runs on these ''skidors" as
assisting him are two short birch poles
or slaves with which he shoves himself
along, like an Indian polling his canoe
through shallow water, but the Lapp
has one pole in each hand. When q
Lapp goes down hill on his skidors he
uses one as a sledge on which to slide
and steer, while with the other he turns
bis foot and scrapes the skidor, thus
regulating his gait. Says the same au-
thority / quoted once above: ''The
Lapp begins to run on ski when a mere
child, and attains great skill in this
sport. He runs with the greatest ease
up or down hill, jumps the steepest in
clines, and speeds across lakes and
marshes, through forest and field /;
hunts the wolf and the BEAR or follows
the runaway reindeer, and undertakes
extremely long journeys, following his
herd or visiting distant parts. "
Mr.. Oscar Dickson, one of Nordensk-
QIickjok, thought he would get up a
series of races among the fapps on
skidors to test their capabilities of max
ing the speed they claimed. The dis
tance which they thought they had
travelled over the interior ice or mer de
glace of Greenland VAS 143 miles in
ffty-seven hours two days nine hours
going and coming. Mr.. Dickson planned
his races so as to have about an equal
length oe course, and it really was 141
miles long. The competition for the
high pri es offered took place
last April, and occupied a whole
week. Three hundred and fifty francs
was the highest, or first prize, and was
won by Lapp who had been with Nor.
denski old on his Greenland inland ex.
petition. He got over his 141 miles in
u hours and % minutes, including all
his rests and stoppages, or about miles
an hour kept up steadily for nearly a
whole day.
The second prize was secured Dy a
Lapp who goot in only half minute
after the first. Two others got in
within % hours, and four more within
a day. All of them were apparently
Tnexhausted, and joined heartily in the
festivities that ended this singular con-
test. many of the contestants returning
at once to their homes, fifty to seventy
five miles distant, from which they had
come 70 join in the races.