Today, there are an estimated 40 million alpine skiiers worldwide, indicating how quickly this relatively new sport has grown in popularity over just a few decades. Writing at the International Skiing History Association website, Morton Lund indicates that in 1996 there were 300 major alpine ski resorts in 40 countries worldwide. Lifts for alpine skiing exist everywhere from Alaska to the Andes, India to Australia.
Precursors
The precursors to alpine skis are ancient -- archaeologists have discovered skis in Russia believed to be 8,000 years old. Rock art and artifacts found in Norway and Finland indicate that inhabitants of these Scandinavian countries have been using skis for roughly 5,000 years. These earliest skis were not alpine skis per se, as they were used as a mode of cross-country transport rather than for downhill skiing. Closer to the present day, modern skis were developed in Telemark, Norway during the latter part of the 19th century. These skis were also designed for cross-country use, and were shaped for greater control of turns.
Alpine Skis
In the 19th century, skiing was introduced to the U.S. as a form of cross-country winter travel and as a downhill racing sport. European and Scandinavian immigrants working in American mining camps during the 1800s brought their skiing traditions with them to the new world. These mine workers used long wooden skis for downhill racing. The English started to organize official downhill skiing races during the early years of the 20th century.
Aluminium Skis
After the Second World War, the technology of skis developed to use aluminum skis over wooden cores. In 1947, Baltimore resident Howard Head invented his aluminum, plywood-core skis which were much more flexible than previous wooden skis. Head's skis became known as "banana skins" and "cheaters" because of their flexibility and ease of maneuver. Also in 1947, the Alu-60 aluminum ski was released in the U.S. The user-friendliness of skis increased further in the 1940s, with the release by Dynamique of a hard and smooth ski sole, which made skiing more comfortable.
Plastics
In the 1940s, the Cellulix plastic bottom was invented, and it was no longer necessary for alpine skiers to apply stinky substances to the bottoms of their skis every hour. In 1954, the Holley all-plastic ski was released, but it would take a decade for plastic skis to really catch on with alpine skiers. Rossignol and Kneissl came out with fiberglass skis starting in the 1960s, and this type of alpine ski remains the standard design through to the early years of the 21st century. Fiberglass is preferable to aluminum because it does not bend on impact and provides a smooth, gliding ride.
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