Prehistory: Rock paintings and skis preserved in bogs show that hunters and

trappers used skis at least 5000 years ago, but skis are even older than that: As
glaciers retreated, stone age hunters followed reindeer and elk herds from central
Asia's Altai region, moving to the northwest and northeast, using skis covered with
fur that worked like modern climbing skins. Skis came to be used across the
Eurasian arctic regions.
Early modern period: Skis were in regular use by Scandinavian farmers, hunters and
warriors throughout the Middle Ages. By the 18th century, units of the Swedish Army
trained and competed on skis.
Before 1840: The cambered ski was developed by woodcarvers in the province of
Telemark, Norway. The bow-shape cambered ski arches up toward the center to
distribute the weight of the skier more evenly across the length of the ski. Before
this, skis had to be thick to glide without bowing downward and sinking in the snow
under the skiers weight, concentrated in the middle. If a ski is allowed to bow
downward this way, the skier finds himself constantly skiing uphill, out of a hole
his own weight has made in the snow. Camber made possible a thinner, lighter ski
that did not sink at the middle. The thin, cambered ski floated more easily over
soft snow, flexed more easily to absorb the shock of bumps, maneuvered more easily
because it was lighter and easier to swing into a turn. The thinner, lighter ski
ran faster and maneuvered with better agility than the clumsier sideways skid of
the plank-thick older transportation skis. In a parallel development, skimakers
learned that sidecut enabled more agile turning.
1868: Sondre Norheim demonstrated the Telemark ski, with a sidecut that narrowed
the ski underfoot while the tip and tail remained wider. In the same way as the
camber, the sidecut produced a ski that flexed more easily when tipped on edge, so
that in a turn its edge followed the shape of the turn instead of skidding
sideways. He also popularized a stiffer binding that held the heel centered over
the ski when turning. Norheim and his friends formed a small pioneer group of early
skiers who improved the ski as they developed the first dynamic turns in downhill
running, from 1850 to 1900.
1882: Most high-quality Eurpean skis were made of strong, springy ash. In 1882, the
first hickory skis produced in Norway. Hickory is so hard and tough that it was
difficult to work with traditional hand tools. But with modern carbon-steel tools,
Norwegian ski makers began turning out hickory skis. The tough wood made it
possible to build a thinner, more flexible ski with good strength, and the hard
base was less likely to gouge and scar enough to slow the ski down or cause it to
sideslip during a downhill run. Hickory was imported at great expense from
Louisiana, and Norwegian immigrants in Wisconsin and Minnesota very quickly figured
out that, with easier access to lumber stocks, they could make excellent quality
hickory skis more cheaply than their friends back in the old country could. By 1887
several Norwegian skimakers, like the Hemmestveit brothers, had relocated to the
U.S.
1893: The first two-layer laminated ski was built by H.M. Christiansen, in Norway.
Using a tough hickory or ash base with a lighter body of spruce or basswood made
for a lighter, springier ski and reduced the need to carve up thick planks of
expensive hardwoods. But the flexible hide glues then in use were not strictly
waterproof, so the skis tended to delaminate after a few days hard use. Meanwhile,
in Glarus, Switzerland, carpenter Melchior Jacober launches what is apparently the
first ski factory in Central Europe.
1905: An alpine unit of the French Army undertook the first series production of a
Telemark-style ski in France, at Briancon.
1926: The segmented steel edge, invented by part-time mountaineer Rudolph Lettner
of Salzburg, Austria, gave skis much better grip on hard snow while still allowing
the wood to flex naturally. However, the segments had to be screwed into the ski,
and tended to come loose. Worse, edge segments could break in two. In that case, it
was difficult or impossible to continue skiing. Skiers usually carried spare edge
segments, along with a screwdriver, screws and glue, to make field repairs.
1928: Swiss ski racer Guido Reuge invents the Kandahar binding, using a spring-
loaded cable to hold the heel down for alpine skiing.
1928: Solid aluminum ski prototyped in France.
1932: The first successful three-layer laminated skis were invented by Bjrn
Ullevoldsaeter in Norway and independently by George Aaland in Seattle. Because
they were made with really waterproof casein glues, the skis did not delaminate
easily and lasted much longer. When it was found that skis with vertically
laminated cores proved lighter, livelier, and stronger, sales took off. The first
of these skis were marketed under the Splitkein (split-cane) label in Norway and
as Anderson & Thompson skis in the U.S.
1934: Limited production of solid aluminum ski by Joseph Vicky in France.
1936: Aluminum ski poles reach mass production in Saint-Ouen, France.
1937: R.E.D. Clark of Cambridge, England, developed the formaldehyde-based adhesive
Aerolite to hold airplanes together for instance, it was used in the all-wood
deHavilland Mosquito bomber. Aerolite phenol glue is still manufactured by Ciba-
Geigy. In 1941 he created Redux, used to bond aluminum and other impervious metals.

1944: Cellulix, the first cellulose plastic bottom, made to go on Dynamic skis in
France.
1945: The Vought-Sikorsky aircraft company used Redux glue to create Metalite, a
sandwich of aluminum with a plywood core, for use in airplane skins. Three Chance-
Vought engineers, Wayne Pierce, David Richey and Arthur Hunt, used the process to
build an aluminum-laminate ski with a wood core. A thousand pairs of the Truflex
ski were made but when aircraft production picked up, the company dropped the
project and did not release the patent. It was the first mass-produced aluminum
ski. It was more easily flexed than a wood ski, less easily broken, scarred or
damaged. It did not warp with use.
1946: The Gomme ski was produced by furniture-maker Donald Gomme in England. A
laminated wood core was sandwiched between two top plastic layers and a bottom
metal layer, with a wood veneer sole to hold wax. It was the first ski to use three
different layered materials. Gomme-equipped racers failed to impress the world at
the 1948 Olympics and Gomme returned to making furniture.
1947: Pierce, Richey and Hunt founded TEY Manufacturing to produce the aluminum Alu
60, a hollow aluminum ski consisting of nested hat-section channels on top and a
flat aluminum plate on the bottom, all bonded together using Redux adhesive. It
had drawbacks: The aluminum base stuck to soft snow and did not hold wax well, and
the ski was essentially an undamped spring. The aluminum edges of the bottom plate
wore out quickly. It was renamed Aluflex in 1948, its second year of production,
and TEY shipped 12,000 pairs. But the undamped ski was nearly unskiable on hard
snow, and the patent was sold to Johnny See-saw. TEY instead developed the first
snowmaking gun, an immediate commercial success. In 1955, the Aluflex patent was
duplicated in Switzerland by Sikorsky engineer Serge Gagarin (TEY's sales agent)
and assigned to Attenhofer; the ski was manufactured by Charles Dieupart in
France. Eventually, with the addition of a wood core, the design evolved to become
the Dynastar MV2.
1947: Howard Head, another aircraft engineer, created an aluminum sandwich ski with
a lightweight plasticized-paper honeycomb core. The aluminum bottom had no steel
edges. The ski was too light to track well, and broke easily when flexed. However,
it worked well in powder and served as a prototype for the later successful Heads.
1948: TEY Tape, a self-adhesive cellulose plastic running surface, is invented by
the TEY trio. It would adhere to either metal or wood skis. TEY tape did not stick
to most snow and it could hold wax. It was sold as part of the Aluflex and also
offered through ski shops for application to any ski. Disadvantage: TEY Tape was
soft, and relatively easily ripped.
1948: Chris Hoerle of Torrington, Connecticut, created the stainless steel Chris
ski, the first ski with a continuous, low-drag, integral steel edge. This edge was
quickly adopted by Head. The Chris ski usually had a TEY tape base. Hoerle made
about 200 pairs but the ski was never brought to market.
1949: Howard Heads plywood-core, pressure-bonded aluminum Head Standard with
continuous integral steel edge began its journey toward becoming the most
commercially successful early metal ski. It had a plywood core glued under pressure
and heat between top and bottom aluminum sheets with plastic sidewalls. The bottom
sheet had a continuous full length steel edge. It was the first successful ski made
of very different components. The secret to success was Bostik, a flexible contact
cement that allowed the different layers to shear against each other without
weakening. Head skis, along with competitors and imitators, supplanted at least
half the wood skis by 1960.
1952: The first fiberglass-reinforced plastic ski, the Bud Phillips Ski, was not
satisfactory enough to endure. The same applies to both the Holley Ski, created by
Dan Holley of Detroit, and the Dynaglass ski by Dale Boison, both introduced in
1955. But these early attempts spread the idea of the possibility of a ski with
more liveliness and less vibration than could be achieved with an aluminum ski.
Designers saw that a fiberglass ski might be lighter and easier to turn than the
best metal skis.
1954: The first polyethylene base is introduced in Austria by Kofler. Kofix proves
slippery enough in most snow conditions to eliminate the need for wax. It is easy
to repair minor scratches and gouges by melting more polyethylene into it. A
similar material made by InterMontana in Switzerland is marketed under the brand
name P-tex. Polyethylene is widely adopted by ski factories, and supplanted earlier
plastic bases like Cellulix. With the addition of a polyethylene base, Howard Head
introduces the final version of the Head Standard ski.
1954: Emile Allais, the pre-war world alpine champion, returns from five years
working in North and South America, carrying several pairs of Head skis. He
convinces Laurent Boix-Vives, new owner of Rossignol, to build the aluminum
Metallais and Allais 60 aluminum skis, which revolutionize downhill racing
beginning in 1959.
1959: The first successful plastic fiberglass ski was invented by Fred Langendorf
and Art Molnar, in Montreal, and marketed under the Toni Sailer label. From then
on, the concept spread rapidly. By 1968, fiberglass had supplanted both wood and
aluminum for use in slalom racing skis and in most recreational skis. Aluminum
laminates remained important for all high-speed skis (GS and downhill).
Aluminum/fiberglass compound skis proved popular for recreational cruising and for
use in deep powder.
1970: First fiberglass cross country skis introduced by John Lovett of Boulder,
Colorado.
1970s: Steady improvement in plastic materials. Prepreg fiberglass construction
proves efficient but very expensive. S-glass supplants E-glass in wet lay-ups.
Manufacturers mix small quantities of Kevlar, carbon fiber, ceramic fiber and other
high-strength materials into fiberglass to help improve strength, resilience,
damping, torsion or simply to improve marketing buzz. Sintered polyethylene
begins to supplant extruded polyethylene as a tough, wax-retentive, high-speed base
material.
1989: Volant skis, the first commercially manufactured steel ski, introduced by
Bucky Kashiwa. The factory fails in 2001 due to high labor costs and production is
moved to Austria. Some of the Volant production equipment is bought by David Goode,
who uses it to produce a ski made largely of carbon fiber.
1990: Elan and Kneissl build prototypes of deep-sidecut shaped skis, escaping
from the classic Telemark geometry toward a generation of easy-carving skis
A SHORT HISTORY OF SKIS Morten Lund and Seth Masia

ADJUSTABLE SKIS GEOFFREY DUFFY, DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

This one hasnt gone in to production yet as far as we know but is a unique idea
from Dublin Institute of Technology design student, Geoffrey Duffy. These skis are
intended for novice skiers so that they can keep using the same set of skis as they
improve their skills. But they also allow experts to manually adjust the front and
back of the ski in less than 60 seconds so a variety of configurations can be tried
to find the one that best suits the situation.

AR SKI GOGGLES RECON SNOWZ

This visionary device by Recon Instruments is a tiny computer that is placed into
ski goggles so that you can access all the information you need while skiing:
knowing the speed youre going at, how high up you are, and even the name of the
song playing on your smartphone. All the things you can achieve by using eyes and
ears. But better.

SKI ARIBAG IN&MOTION

Or I.M.S.S.A.B for short. This new invention detects your movements and expands
into an airbag to protect your torso if you happen to slip or fall forwards during
skiing. Safe!

WALK FRIENDLY SKI BOOTS SCOTT SPORTS

These boots are designed with WTRs Outsole technology to give you maximum grip
during your ski time. But they also include a ski/walk mechanism, which makes them
comfortable and effective in both walking and skiing modes as required by
conditions. Remember the joke, these ski boots are so comfy, said no one ever?
Someone needs to come up with a new one now. Something like: Whats a ski boot?

RADAR PANTS HELLY HANSEN

Not only capable of showing off all those Squats youve been doing in preparation
for the slopes. Our final invention for today comes fit with RECCO Advanced Rescue
system reflectors that will help rescuers find you by radar if, heaven forbid, you
were to end up trapped during an avalanche.
www.snowskool.com 8 SMART SKI INNOVATIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

Artificial snowhas improved since the old gravelly days when it felt like skiing on
ball-bearings. Heavenly Mountain Resort operators turn on snow-making by iPhone.
Whistler Blackcomb converts 15,000 gallons of water per minute into snow.
Responding to eco concerns, resorts such as Breckenridge are investing in energy-
efficient snow guns and upgraded compressors.
The latest groomers manicure steeper slopes. Whistler Blackcomb's high-tech cat
turns 45-degree slopes into easy-skiing corduroy and park groomers contour terrain
parks rather than old-fashioned manpower. At Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, GPS
determines correct blade height to help cat drivers create perfect pistes. With
pampered skiers having high expectations of pristine slopes, Aspen/Snowmass and
Copper Mountain have initiated "noon grooms" so there's afternoon corduroy, too.
Helmets, originally for racers, are now standard garb. Today's versions have
impact-absorbing liners and lightweight, flexible but durable shells. For example,
60 years of research has led to Bolle's B-style ultra-light polycarbonate helmet
with hypoallergenic foam liner, adjustable strap, removable ear-pads and integrated
audio kit.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com High-tech on the slopes: the latest ski innovations

Gasless, reusable avalanche airbags

Arcteryx Voltair Avalanche Airbag, 1,018
Unlike traditional compressed air cylinder airbag systems that need to be refilled
with a workshop compressor after just one deployment, the Voltair can be deployed
multiple times even on one charge. This is because the system is powered by a
heavy-duty 22.2V Lithium-Ion Polymer rechargeable battery, which can also be
charged with portable devices such as solar panels on the mountain.

That rechargeable battery uses a centrifugal blower to inflate a 150 litre balloon
with more initial pressure than any other battery powered avi bag available. Once
fully inflated it continues to pump air in, ensuring that youll still get the best
possible flotation despite any small nicks or punctures in the bag. For easier
flight transportation you can simply unhook the battery and pack it separately
which is a further advantage over compressed air cyclinger alternatives.
Ski boots comfortable enough to walk in? Whatever next! Brand new for 2017,
Salomons QST Pro boot aims to be the Jack of all trades and master of every one,
by borrowing the latest technology from three different sports that Salomon excels
at: running, ski touring and alpine skiing. It does this with cutting edge comfort,
support and light weight via a fully mouldable shell and cuff, a thermoformable
ankle insert, plus shell stiffness and weight only where its needed to keep weight
to a minimum (1,596g for a size 26.5). Need to hike the backcountry or back to
hotel? Swap the alpine soles for tech soles, activate the walk mode with its 40
degrees of ankle flex and off you go.
Real virtual reality mountain mapping
Fatmap 3D mapping, from free
Now with offline mapping of more than 40 mountain ranges worldwide, unlike most
traditional 2D maps which illustrate contours and features with symbols, the Fatmap
3D mapping app is built with high quality imagery which shows you the mountain on
your phone as you can actually see it with your own eyes. On top of these zoomable
3D images are layered vast amounts of content from individual lines recorded by the
Fatmap community on and off piste, to piste-side cafes, live avalanche safety
analysis tools, area and resort information, as well as your own recorded and
tracked runs, which you can relive with 3D flythroughs.