Test Your Ski Knowledge

1. The most ancient ski in existence was found well preserved in a peat bog in China, dating from about 450 AD.
2. The furthest anyone has Nordic skied in a 24 hour period is nearly 300 miles.
3. In 1918 Denmark had the first “ski army”.
4. With about 472, the US has the most ski reports of any country.
5. Skiing is available in nearly half the countries of the world.
6. The longest ski ever used was over 1,800 feet long.
7. The fastest anyone has skied backwards is over 80 mph.
8. The most vertical skied in one season is over 6 million feet.
9. The longest T-bar in the world is nearly four miles long.
10. Though attempted many times, no one has successfully run a marathon in ski boots.

Don’t Peek Yet. Answers Below.

1. Fiction: The oldest ski was found in a peat bog but it was in Norway and dates from 2500 BC.
2. Fact: Hans Maenpaa of Finland skied 293 miles in 24 hours.
3. Fiction: Norway had the first “ski army” in the 1700s.
4. Fiction: Japan has the most with about 500.
5. Fact: Of the roughly 196 countries in the world about 97 offer skiing.
6. Fact: At an event in Norway 170 skiers skied 44 feet on a pair of 1,800 foot long skis.
7. Fact: Elias Ambüehl of Switzerland skied backwards at over 80 mph.
8. Fact: In the 2014 – 15 ski season Canadian Pierre Marc Jette skied 6,025,751 vertical feet at Whistler Blackcomb. In doing so he raised money for Alzheimer’s treatment and research.
9. Fiction: The longest T-bar is at Murray Ridge, BC, Canada. At just under 2.5 miles long it runs at a speed of about 12 mph. To put that in perspective, that’s about the same speed as detachable chairlifts.
10. Fiction: Dr. Paul Harnett holds the record; he ran a marathon in ski boots in five and a half hours.  Check out this video about his accomplishment: