Skis pre-date the wheel by about 3,500 years!
This weekend, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association will host its annual Ski Swap at the Lakeville Hose Company – a great opportunity to gear up for the season and join fellow winter warriors as they rejoice in the coming season! In fact, Jiminy Peak has already opened for and is less than one hour from the Lakeville Ski Swap.
The world’s oldest pair of skis was found in northern Russia, dating back to about 6,000 BC. Cave drawings throughout Europe and Asia depict the use of skis over thousands of years. At that time, skis allowed for easier passage over frozen wetlands and enabled hunters to more easily track their prey. In the 18th Century, skis were often used in military excursions.
During the 1880’s, as the technology of skis was developing, downhill (Alpine) skiing took root. It was at this point that skiing shifted from a practical to a recreational/sporting phenomenon but never losing sight of its roots. The Norwegian Army even held competitions that served as the foundation of modern Olympic games, the first of which took place in 1924.
Today skiing, in its many forms, remains the most popular of Winter sports, a fact that is evident here in the Tri-State Region of Dutchess County, NY, the Southern Berkshires, MA, and the Northwest Corner of CT. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy seven local ski areas with trails for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, terrain parks, some with night skiing, and all are an easy drive from the metropolitan areas of Boston, MA and New York City.
“A pair of skis are the ultimate transportation to freedom.”
-Warren Miller
For more information about local skiing, follow the links below:
Ski Butternut in Gt. Barrington, MA
Catamount Ski Area in Hillsdale, NY
Thunder Ridge Ski Area in Patterson, NY
Woodbury Ski Area in Woodbury, CT
Ski Sundown in New Hartford, CT
Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, in Cornwall, CT
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock, MA
