Skiing

Skiing is a mode of transport, recreational activity and competitive winter sport in which the participant uses skis to glide on snow. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski Federation (FIS).

History

Skiing has a history of almost five millennia. Although modern skiing has evolved from beginnings in Scandinavia, it may have been practiced as early as 600 BC in what is now China.

The word "ski" is one of a handful of words Norway has exported to the international community. It comes from the Old Norse word "skíð" which means "split piece of wood or firewood".

Asymmetrical skis were used at least in northern Finland and Sweden up until the late 19th century. On one leg the skier wore a long straight non-arching ski for sliding, and on the other a shorter ski for kicking. The bottom of the short ski was either plain or covered with animal skin to aid this use, while the long ski supporting the weight of the skier was treated with animal fat in similar manner to modern ski waxing.

Skiing (magazine)

Skiing is an American magazine devoted to skiing that was published in print form between 1948 and 2010, one of the two largest circulation magazines for skiers. Today it is available only online.

Early years

Merrill Hastings launched Rocky Mountain Skiing in 1948, a news-oriented magazine that soon developed into a national publication. In 1950 it changed its name to the National Skiing Newspaper. It became National Skiing in 1954. In 1956 the name was change to Skiing. The magazine competed aggressively with the Ski magazine run by Bill Eldred. In the early days the magazine was not entirely objective in its reviews, favoring resorts and equipment makers who advertised in its pages. In the first ten years circulation rose to almost 50,000.

New York

In 1964 the Ziff Davis company of New York bought Skiing Magazine and Skiing Trade News from Hastings, and moved operations to New York. Bill Ziff, the owner, raided Ski Magazine for experienced staff. Luray, the first editor, wanted a slick magazine. Ziff decided it should be more serious, aimed at dedicated skiers, and replaced Luray by Doug Pfeiffer, a ski school director from California. Pfeiffer was editor in chief of Skiing Magazine and its sister publications Skiing Trade News, Skiing Area News and Skiing International Yearbook from 1965 to 1976. Under Ziff in 1965 the magazine started to issue test reports on skis. To avoid upsetting advertisers, none of them were negative. Due to the timing of new model releases, the skis being tested and the conditions under which they were tested typically did not match the skis and conditions the readers would experience. Pfeiffer was followed as editor by John Jerome and then Al Greenberg.

Skiing (disambiguation)

Skiing may refer to: