Superfast downhill and Giant slalom in Alpine skiing, cross country and death-defying jumps in Nordic skiing: skiing competitions are thrilling events!

But you don’t need to be an athlete to ski: it’s also a leisure activity much appreciated in Europe and North America.

So, when did it start?

In prehistoric times! Humans already slid over the snow to follow their herds. Skiing is still used to get around in Nordic countries.

But in the 19th-century, the Norwegian, Sondre Norheim, made it a true sport.

To hurtle down slopes and turn as quickly as possible, he made shorter skis that were thin in the middle.

Norheim even won the first skiing competition in the world, in 1869.