My microtalk on the history of skiing

[mattbell]

A couple of weeks ago I organized a set of 2-minute 1-slide microtalks in which various friends and I all very quickly shared concepts with one another. 

The history of skiing was fun to research, and ended up being an interesting exploration of several rounds of technology adoption cycles as I wrote about earlier.

Comments

Here's a Fun Historical Record

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Pierre-Louis de Mauterpuis went along on a scientific expedition to Lapland to measure the curvature of the earth in 1735. In a discourse to the Academy which funded the expedition, he wrote:

I will say nothing of the rigors of traveling in the deepest snow as the winter came. The Lapps use curious long shoes -- narrow planks of wood, about eight feet long -- to keep from getting stuck. One walks on them, or rather glides. It's a manner of proceeding which requires long practice.

(David Bodanis, Passionate Minds, 2006, Random House, p. 104, translation by the author.)

Re: Here's a Fun Historical Record

[integreillumine.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there were definitely some around before the 1800s. See top of M's slide '5000BC - First skis found'