Culture and Sport of Skiing
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A01=E.John B. Allen
alpine skiing origins
ancient ski practices
Arnold Lunn downhill innovation
Author_E.John B. Allen
Category=NHTB
Category=STA
children and youth ski culture
cross-cultural ski development
cultural influence on skiing
development of slalom and alpine skiing
early ski expeditions
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European mountain sports
evolution of ski techniques
evolution of winter sports
Fridtjof Nansen contributions
gender and skiing participation
global history of skiing
global spread of skiing
Hannes Schneider ski techniques
heritage of ski sports
historical ski equipment
historical skiing photography
history of skiing
India
influence of nationalism on winter sports
Japan
mechanized army and snow obstacles
military use of skis
modernization of traditional sports
Nordic skiing history
Norwegian skiing traditions
origins of skiing as transportation
premodern skiing methods
recreational skiing development
ski clubs and organizations
ski competitions and recreation
ski culture in Europe
ski history scholarship
ski instruction and pedagogy
ski modernization and sportification
ski pioneers and innovators
ski races and competitions
ski technique evolution
ski tourism history
ski-related cultural imagery
skiing and exploration
skiing and outdoor leisure
skiing as national identit
skiing before World War II
skiing during the Russo-Finnish War
skiing in Austria
skiing in China and Algeria
snow sports history
speed and safety in skiing
traditional versus modern skiing
visual history of skiing
winter warfare and skis
women in early skiing
Zakopane skiing history
Product details
- ISBN 9781558496019
- Weight: 625g
- Dimensions: 160 x 233mm
- Publication Date: 01 Aug 2007
- Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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A comprehensive history of skiing from its earliest origins to the outbreak of World War II, this book traces the transformation of what for centuries remained an exclusively utilitarian practice into the exhilarating modern sport we know today. E. John B. Allen places particular emphasis on the impact of culture on the development of skiing, from the influence of Norwegian nationalism to the role of the military in countries as far removed as Austria, India, and Japan. Although the focus is on Europe, Allen's analysis ranges all over the snow-covered world, from Algeria to China to Zakopane. He also discusses the participation of women and children in what for much of its history remained a male-dominated sport. Of all the individuals who contributed to the modernization of skiing before World War II, Allen identifies three who were especially influential: Fridtjof Nansen of Norway, whose explorations on skis paradoxically inspired the idea of skiing as sport; Arnold Lunn of England, whose invention of downhill skiing and the slalom were foundations of the sport's globalization; and Hannes Schneider, whose teachings introduced both speed and safety into the sport. Underscoring the extent to which ancient ways persisted despite modernization, the book ends with the Russo-Finnish War, a conflict in which the Finns, using equipment that would have been familiar a thousand years before, were able to maneuver in snow that had brought the mechanized Soviet army to a halt. More than fifty images not only illustrate this rich history but also provide further opportunity for analysis of its cultural significance.
E. John B. ALLEN is professor emeritus of history at Plymouth State University and author of From Skisport to Skiing: One Hundred Years of an American Sport, 1840-1940 (University of Massachusetts Press).
