The sport of skiing has evolved over thousands of years. Skiing was first invented to get people from Scandinavia up hills not down them, as it is done today. The first evolution of skiing came in 1868 for downhill skis and continues to today. Skiing has become ingrained in American culture and will stay as America's favorite winter sport. This is shown with America's love for its Olympic skiers and hosting the games many times in different parts of the country.
Skiing has been around for thousands of years. There are rock carvings found in caves in northern Norway showing men on long boards with hunting tools in there hands. The first written account of skiing appears in around 1000 AD Viking sagas were kings are described as expert skiers. The first concept of ski races started in Sweden in 1523 though it was cross country races instead of downhill. The father of modern skiing was Sonde Norheim from the telemark region of Norway. He made his skis in a slight hour glass shape and waxed the bottoms for better ability to turn he did this in 1868. .
Skiing was introduced in America by Scandinavian immigrants in the late 1830's. The California gold rush is what made skiing popular for Mountain Men. These skis looked very different from today's skis. They were 12 feet long and weighed up to 25 pounds. They were used as long snow shoes and it was very hard to turn on them. Ski racing in America started in California were miners in their off time would strap boards on their feet and race each other down the mountain. In 1874 in La Porte California Tommy Todd was clocked in at 85 mph down a 1000 vertical run, a nonofficial mark that lasted into the middle of the 20th century.
Skiing was first competed in the winter games in 1924 in Chamonix, France. It constituted of cross country skiing and ski jumping. The first down hill event was the combined event and that happened in the 1936 Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.