A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow.

Substantially longer
than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings,
with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins (originally made
of seal fur, but now made of synthetic materials) can be attached at the base of the ski.
Originally intended as an aid to travel over snow, they are now mainly used recreationally in the
sport of skiing.

Contents
[hide]

1Etymology and usage

2History
o 2.1Asymmetrical skis
o 2.2Single long ski
o 2.3Modern skis
3Geometry
4Construction
o 4.1Laminate or sandwich
o 4.2Torsion box
o 4.3Monocoque or cap
o 4.4Historical
o 4.5Notable manufacturers
5Types
o 5.1Alpine
o 5.2Nordic
6See also
7References
8External links

Etymology and usage[edit]

The word ski comes from the Old Norse word "sk" which means stick of wood or ski.[1]
In Norwegian this word is usually pronounced [i]. In Swedish, another language evolved from Old
Norse, the word is "skidor" (pl.).
English and French use the original spelling "ski", and modify the pronunciation. Prior to 1920,
English usage of "skee" and "snow-shoe" is often seen.[2] In Italian, it is pronounced as in Norwegian,
and the spelling is modified: "sci". Portuguese, German and Spanish adapt the word to their linguistic
rules: esqui, Schier (a German plural of Ski) and esqu. In Dutch, the word is "ski and pronunciation
was originally [i] as in Norwegian, but since approximately the 1960s changed to [ski]. Many
languages make a verb form out of the noun, such as "to ski" in English, "skier" in French, "esquiar"
in Spanish, "sciare" in Italian, "skin" in Dutch, "esquiar" in Portuguese or "schilaufen" (as above
also Ski laufen or Ski fahren) in German.
Finnish has its own ancient words for skis and skiing. In Finnish ski is suksi and skiing is hiiht.
The Sami also have their own words for skis and skiing. For example, the Lule Sami word for ski is
"sabek" and skis are "sabega". The Sami use "cuoigat" for the verb "to ski". The term may date back
to 10,000 years before present.[3]

History[edit]
The oldest wooden skis found were in what is today Russia (c. 6300-5000 BCE), Sweden (c. 5200
BCE) and Norway (c. 3200 BCE) respectively.[4]
Nordic ski technology was adapted during the early 20th century to enable skiers to turn at higher
speeds. New ski and ski binding designs, coupled with the introduction of ski lifts to carry skiers up
slopes, enabled the development of alpine skis. Meanwhile, advances in technology in the Nordic
camp allowed for the development of special skis for skating and ski jumping.

Asymmetrical skis[edit]
This type of ski was used at least in northern Finland and Sweden until the 1930s.[3] 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. Early record of this type of skis survives in works of Olaus Magnus.[5] He associates them
to Sami people and gives Sami names of savek and golos for the plain and skinned short ski.
Finnish names for these are lyly and kalhu for long and short ski.[6]

Single long ski[edit]

The seal hunters at the Gulf of Bothnia had developed a special long ski to sneak into shooting
distance to the seals' breathing holes, though the ski was useful in moving in the packed ice in
general and was made specially long, 34 meters, to protect against cracks in the ice. This is
called skredstng in Swedish.[7]