This Page About Sondre in the History of Skiing

Sondre in the History of Skiing

It's said about Norwegians that they are born with skis on. And for centuries, people's lives in this country have been closely related to skiing - first as means of transportation - then, from the last part of the 19th century, as a leisure and sports activity. Later Norwegian students and emigrants introduced skiing at the European continent, the USA and in other countries. Skiing is Norway's national sport.

The word "ski" is a Norwegian word which comes from the Old Norse word "skid", a split length of wood. And we know that skis have been used in Norway for more than 4,000 years. Rock carvings from Northern Norway confirm this.

In a country with long distances between the small, isolated communities and hard, snowy winters, skiing became important as means of keeping in social contact with each other. Also the use of skis was important for the hunter and the farmer, who spent mornings going far into the forests, returning with game and firewood in the afternoons.

There are reports about the use of skis among soldiers as far back in time as the Middle Ages. Companies of ski troops were formed around 1750. And the very first skiing competitions were held in the military in 1767.

March 21, 1843, the world's first public announced, non-military skiing competition was held in Tromso, Northern Norway. In the years to come, the interest in using skis as a recreation activity excelled. Skiing competitions were held in different parts of the country, among them Trondheim and Trysil.

One area where skiing became a real popular leisure activity, was the district of Telemark, Southern Norway. In the small rural communities, many of them located in deep valleys, conditions were excellent for having fun on skis.

The valley of Morgedal, with its steep hillsides, was great for challenging skiing. A popular activity on Sundays, was to come together and have a joyful time on the slopes and hills. Some were eager to surpass each other in the most spectacular skiing acrobatics - like jumping from the roofs.

In addition to excellent skiers, this community also had many craftsmen, fully capable of making skis and skiing related equipment. This explains why Morgedal became a place where people experimented with new types of skis and bindings, and where new ways of using the skis were developed. The skis and the bindings were crucial to innovation of new techniques.

The style and the technique which developed here from the 1850's, and later was introduced in the capital Christiania (now Oslo), has become known all over the world as Telemark skiing. Also slalom originated in Telemark.

Among the eminent skiers from Morgedal, Sondre was the best of the lot. Sondre was a brilliant skier, he was a true ski artist and a great inspiration in his own community. He was fearless on the crazy man's slopes down the steep hillsides - and he was a master in jumping. Sondre also was an outstanding craftsman who made skis for himself and others. His achievements as a skier would soon become known all over Telemark and later all over Norway.

In 1866, Sondre was invited to participate in what has been described as the world's first ski jumping competition with prizes, held at Ofte, Hoydalsmo (15 kilometres west of Morgedal). There he won 1st prize, and also received an extra award for spectacular performance. This was the first competition where an audience outside Morgedal recognized Sondre's skills as a skier.

In 1888, the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his fellows became the first men to cross Greenland on skis. The book from this expedition was translated into several languages, and played an important role in promoting skiing as a sport across Europe. In his book Nansen describes skiing as "the sport of sports".

Two years earlier, Nansen wrote the following about the skiers from Telemark, "Telemark is the rightful home of skiing. The people of Telemark are unquestionably our country's best skiers, and if they are the best in our country, I can doubtless say, without fear of exaggeration, that they are also the world's best."

"They have taught the townspeople a completely new way of skiing, and have thereby raised the art of skiing to the heights it has achieved in recent years. Telemark skiers truly deserve our respect and thanks", Nansen wrote.

Around 1900 Telemark skiing and slalom were introduced in Central Europe. Norwegian skiers, many of them students, were invited to teach people in the Alp countries, and people from these countries were later used as alpine skiing teachers in the USA.

But the main focus, also when rules were made and competitions organized, was on slalom, downhill, cross-country and jumping. Telemark skiing was not a part of this, and for years the Telemark style was practised by a relatively small group of enthusiasts.

In the 1970's something happened in the USA - the interest in the Telemark style increased. The people behind this development were inspired by Norwegian ski star and Olympic champion from the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Stein Eriksen. After the games he moved to the States and had great success as a ski instructor.

Stein Eriksen was born in Telemark, and in his book "Come ski with me" he also mentioned the Telemark turn and showed a picture of his father, Marius, demonstrating this way of turning.

Skiing the Telemark way gained popularity, first in the United States and later in Central Europe, Sweden and Norway. In the early 80's, the re-born Telemark technique came home to the country where it originated.

Today Telemark skiing is popular both in Europe, USA and in other parts of the world. There are Telemark clubs in several countries. People take courses to learn the Telemark style - they are attracted by the opportunity to leave the crowded, prepared slopes, and run down a hillside in deep powder snow.

People find this way of skiing not only fun but filled with an exhilarating sense of freedom - just as Sondre did when he introduced the Telemark technique in the 1860's. The skis have curved sides and the turning technique is the same as back then. But there is a big difference - the skis are not handmade of pine and the bindings are not made of willow...

There is organized Telemark skiing in about 20 countries, and the national teams compete in the World Cup and the World Championship. The International Olympic Committee is now considering including Telemark as a part of the Olympic Games program. Continue to learn more about skiing, please visit Sondre Norheim.

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