Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...
in which the toe of the
ski boot Ski boots are footwear used in skiing to provide a way to attach the skier to skis using ski bindings. The ski/boot/binding combination is used to effectively transmit control inputs from the skier's legs to the snow.
History
Ski boots were leath ...
is fixed to the
binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the
ski, unlike
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...
, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Recreational disciplines include
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...
and
Telemark skiing.
Olympic events are
competitive cross-country skiing,
ski jumping and
Nordic combined
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924, while the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup ...
— an event combining cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships host these sports every odd-numbered year, but there are also separate championships in other events, such as Telemark skiing and
ski flying
Ski flying is a winter sport discipline derived from ski jumping, in which much greater distances can be achieved. It is a form of competitive individual sport, individual Nordic skiing where athletes descend at high speed along a specially de ...
.
Biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...
combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, but is not included as a Nordic discipline under the rules of the
International Ski Federation (FIS). Instead, it comes under the jurisdiction of the
International Biathlon Union
The International Biathlon Union (IBU; german: Internationale Biathlon-Union) is the international governing body of biathlon. Its headquarters were in Salzburg, Austria, until May 2020, when the Federation moved to Anif, on the outskirts of the ...
.
The biomechanics of competitive cross-country skiing and ski jumping have been the subject of serious study. Cross-country skiing requires strength and endurance and ski jumping requires aerodynamic efficiency, both of which requirements translate into specific skills
to be optimized in training and competition.
Origins
Recreational skiing began with organized skiing exercises and races of the Norwegian and Swedish infantries. Military races and exercises included downhill in rough terrain, target practice while skiing downhill, and 3 km cross-country skiing with full military backpack.
[Bergsland, Einar (1946): ''På ski.'' Oslo: Aschehoug.] Slalom (Norwegian: ''slalåm'') is a word of Norwegian origin that has entered the international skiing vocabulary. In the 1800s skiers in
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
challenged each other on "wild slopes" (''ville låmir''), more gentle slopes had the adjective "sla". Some races were on "bumpy courses" (''kneikelåm'') and sometimes included "steep jumps" (''sprøytehopp'') for difficulty. These 19th century races in Telemark ran along particularly difficult trails usually from a steep mountain, along timber-slides and ended with a sharp turn ("Telemark turn") on a field or icy lake.
Venues
Noted Nordic skiing resorts around the world include the following:
North America
* Maple Leaf Trail, a 128-kilometer trail system between Ste. Agathe and Shawbridge in the Canadian
Laurentian Mountains
*
Catamount Trail that spans the length of Vermont
*
Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort near
Donner Pass in California
* Jackrabbit Ski Trail in the
Adirondack Mountains of New York
* Devils Thumb Ranch offers cross-country and alpine skiing in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
* The Maine Huts and Trails system offers of groomed terrain among the high peaks of
Maine
Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
.
*
Trapp Family Lodge in
Stowe, Vermont, is named after the family of
Maria Von Trapp and offers of groomed terrain.
*
Ammassalik Island
Ammassalik Island ( da, Ammassalik Ø) is an island in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland, with an area of . is an island in East Greenland that offers opportunities for guided back-country ski-touring.
Europe
* The Peer Gynt Trail in Norway extends via the
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, i ...
,
Rondane and
Dovrefjell national parks, a journey of about seven days with hostels along the way.
* The
Cirque du Gavarnie, is a
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landf ...
in the central
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
, in Southwestern France, offers a limited, but scenic set of Nordic trails.
* The Ylläs Ski Resort in Finland provides of trails, of which are illuminated.
References
{{Skiing