SKIING, ske'ing (from Dan., Norweg.
from Teel. skip, snow-shoe, billet of wood, AS. geld, OHO. sett. Ger. Seheit, billet of wood; con nected with Lith. skedra, Lett. skaida, Gk. schizo, splinter, Skt. ehid, to split). The method by which the inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, parts of Russia, and parts of North and South America propel themselves over the snow. The ski is, in fact, the Norseman's snow-shoe, differ ing from the American Indian snow-shoe in hav ing its hearing surface of solid wood and not a webbed frame. The antiquity of the ski is very great. The runners are made of hard pine or ash, generally from six to eight feet long. one quarter of an inch thick, and as wide as the sole of the foot. The toe end of it is sloped gradually upw:n•d, to avoid obsta cles, and narrows to a point at its extreme limit: those used by women arc a trifle shorter titan the men's. A shallow groove about one eighth of all inch deep and one inch wide is cut in the under surface or palm, as it is called; this forms a slender ridge in the snow and prevents slipping. Sometimes the palm is left bare, some times it is covered with skin, the hair on which acts as a grip in climbing hills; and sometimes with horn, which facilitates its clown-hill glide. Midway on the top of the skin is a strap or laced thong called the binding, with which the foot is held in position, and sometimes a heel strap is used. Special shoes are worn made of thick soft leather, pointed and bent upward at the toes so as to lit the loop or binding. The rider carries a star,
a strong wooden stick with a small wheel at the trailing end. by which he starts himself and steers. The motion differs from the step of the Indian snow-shoe; it is a glide, zigzagging up hill, and a slide or shoot down hill. Skiing is the common winter method of locomotion in Northern Europe, and is considerably used in Northwestern America, especially in the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The United States soldiers at the Yellowstone National Park find skis very useful in their patrols during the winter months.
Both in Norway and America skiing is the oc casion of great gatherings. for competitions. In America the first ski club was formed in Minne apolis in 1881 and other clubs soon followed. in 1590 a national association of clubs was or ganized for the regulation of the annual tour neys, called the Ski Association of the North west. The greatest ski contests are those held at Holmenkollen and Frognersieteren. near Christiania, Norway. in February each year. At these there are contests in long and short dis tance skiing runs and jumping. The long dis tance run is generally about twenty miles, round trip. The jump is from a take-off erected mid way down a sloping hillside. and when the slid ing skims!' reaches it he stoops, rises in the air, and must, to be successful. land on his feet and keep his equilibrium to the end of the course.