People have been gliding on the snow for more than 4,500 years. The first ski equipment was made from wood or bone and designed to get one across the snow or ice. Ski equipment changed along with changes in popularity of the sport. Equipment improved considerably after skiing was introduced at the 1924 Olympics.
Skis
The first skis show up in Siberian and Scandinavian cave drawings around 5,000 B.C., according to Whistler Olympic Park. Hunters and travelers used skis to get across frozen wilderness areas. Early skis were not built for speed, but instead to keep the skier on top of the snow. They were long pieces of wood that were attached to the skier's shoes using leather straps. In the 1700s, people in Telemark, Norway, started altering the basic design of the flat ski to increase speed and control. The Telemark ski was made of spruce wood with a wider tip that narrowed in the center and then widened at the tail. This allowed more turning control and was the first carving ski, according to Patrick Droste and Ralf Strotmann in their book "Telemark Skiing." Wood skis were the standard until the 1990s when ski equipment manufacturers started making shaped skis, also called parabolic skis, made of aluminum, fiberglass, Kevlar, titanium and carbon fibers. These skis are lighter and designed for carving the snow, making turning easier.
Boots
Skiers wore regular footwear while skiing until the turn of the century. The common ski boot was a standard work boot, a rubber-soled shoe or other winter footwear. This early footwear did nothing to help the skier control the skis. The first downhill ski boots were made of thick, heavy leather and looked like mountaineering boots. These kept your feet warm, but did little for improving control over the skis. By the 1930s, ski boots were more common, but still little more than a comfortable boot. When skiing become a competitive sport, ski boot manufacturers started making boots with steel shanks to keep the boots from buckling under pressure. It wasn't till after World War II that ski boot technology advanced. In 1959, the first plastic ski boot with buckles was made by Bob Lange, according to Kirk Kardashian in an article published in Skiing Magazine. Ski boots were made from that technology until 2009, when the first carbon fiber boot became available to the public. They are lighter and more flexible increasing control and comfort for the skier.
Bindings
The first ski bindings were little more than leather straps that tied the boot or shoe to the ski. When the first ski boots were developed, they made longthongs, 6-foot long leather straps, to secure the boot to the ski. The longthongs also provided added rigidity across the front of the boot. When rigid plastic boots became popular, bindings changed to accommodate the new boots. Modern bindings are made of plastic and metal clips mounted onto the ski. They are custom-mounted to fit the boot size of the skier. They attach the ski boot at the toe and heel to the ski. A quick release allows the binding to release the boot if a certain amount of torque is applied, usually from a fall.
Poles
The first ski poles doubled as spears for hunters. They were made of wood and used to increase the skier's speed. Early ski poles were also made from bamboo until WWII, when ski poles were made from steel. In 1958, aluminum ski poles became popular and 31 years later in 1990, carbon fiber ski poles hit the market.
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