Contrary to popular belief, skis weren’t actually sent down by some omnipotent ‘Lord of Shred’ in the prehistoric times. No, the origins of skiing is actually a far more nuanced story than that.
Skis can be traced back over 8,000 years to when they were used as a form of transportation, and as an essential tool in navigating the coldest corners of the world. Paintings of vikings charging into battle on ancient skis are the kind of thing that once you’ve seen, you can’t forget.
This video from Red Bull sees British free skier Paddy Graham head on up to Sweden to follow the path of skiing through the winding corridors of time. Seeing Paddy, more used to the kind of modern ski gear that featured in our Ski 100, try out old school ski touring boots and old school skis makes for some nice entertainment.
“These are the comfiest ski boots I’ve ever worn,” says Paddy while trying out boots that look more like those mad slippers your gran bought you for Christmas that time than something you’d ever, in a million years, consider sliding about on snow in.
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