New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-20

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foot is fastened the skeeman can travel u,,b
ease one-third more rapidly than he could Wall
over hard country road In summer time Tra
can make four miles hour without any extr,
exeTtiOn, and, should necessity arise, he can
increase his speed to eight miles an hour Pc
cause OF it's smooth bottom the skee slips for.
ward nearly foot with every step, thus in
creasing the natural stride nearly double. Tbesa
are the dimensions Of a typical skee.
Length-Seven feet
Width-FOUr inches
Thickness-One inch In centre three-oua-,o.
inch rear end, three-eighths inch front end
In order that the runner may ride over n,
stead of dig into the snow it is bent up al tba
front end like the PROV OF a toboggan- a,
the end of a journey the sleeman always tie,
back the front ends. that they may M,
straighten out while they dry. They are usuar,
made of ash oak and good pair costs abo,,
So
Should one attempt 70 tie on a pair OF slsa,
to pair OF ordinary walking shoes he wopId
be compelled to give UP his attempt to walk
after only a few steps. His legs would n
weighted down, and the muscles OF his an,,la,
would soon ache as il he had gone through q
setting UP stunt" at a military academy. I'm,
as soon as he sees how the veteran skeer9an
equips his feet he understands his mistake.
In Norway, the expert skeemen wear socks %
goats hair which are one and ahaIs iuchestbick
Nevertheless, an American amateur may rig
himself out with pair of skee shoes By means
Of some wool and some leather and a few grains
Of originality. In addition to his ordinary pair
Of woOIlen socks. he need pull on two more pair
OF still greater thickness out Of strip of aexi-
BILE leather, he need make himself sort OF moo
casin. without sole. Under the heel OF this
bottomles5 shoe he must fasJen q second piece
of leather. which should project out on either
side TO fasten to the back straps Of the skee Tia
leather had best be pigskin. well oiled. 50 that
it may bend as easily as the wOOIIen sock. Then
the foot is bound to the skee by means OF Two
straps one over the toe and fastened through
hole bored horizontally through the skee. anI
the other made fast to the heel and tied to the
skee in front of the boot by means Of screws in
the top of the runner. These backstraps should
be made of bamboo wound around with copper
wire, and then wrapped in strong leather The
amateur had better carry a long pole at first 10
use brake should stump suddenly loom
up before him while he is coasting. The veteran
Norwegian skeeman disdains a staff as efem!-
nate. although he most likely used one Whea he
beginner.
After the amateur has learned how 70 slide
along on his skees without finding his muscles
sore the next day. he is ready to take lessons In
jumping Near the bottom OF q hill he builds
mound Of pine boughs upon which he lays
bank Of snow. He rounds off this hummock, IN
til it looks like natural knoll left from glacial
times. Now he is ready for q try"
BY crossing his skees at right angles he climbs
some few feet up the hill and braces himself
against a descent with his pole. As soon as ne
summons up courage he drops the pole. His
runners move faster and faster till they strike
the hummock At that instant he feels himself
shoot into the air and land with a sudden Jolt
on the snow beyond He has travelled a dis
lance OF some thirty feet, one-haf a foot
further than the worlds champion for the run
ming Jump with weights.
Before his second attempt from further I'd the
hill his instructor viii tell him to bend his knees
more when he strikes the hummOck- In such
posture he will alight with less jar. Little BY
little the skee jumper increases his run until
he stands at the top OF the HILL and takes
jump OF ninety or more feet without wincing
Yet in that swOOp through the air he VIII never
lose its strange thrill. for the oldest skeeman
feels it as keenly as the novice.
"A strange Hghtness and feebleness take pos
session Of your limbs says John \ Gade in
Country Life In America" and your spirit
shares the intoxication of soaring into space.
Then you are suddenly called back to earth for
half a second softly, but then hard as iron; an
electric shock passes up your spine TO the back
OF your head; you wabbIe heIplessIy from right
to left, each foot seems glued TO the ground. but