User:DylanSpark223/History of skiing

Skiing as Sport

 * 1950: FIS officially includes Giant Slalom in its alpine events
 * 1957: Doug Pfeiffer creates freestyle skiing
 * 1959: The FIS officially requires the wearing of helmets in all races
 * 1960: Cable network CBS buys the rights to show the Olympic Winter Games, marking the first time instant-replay is utilized in the sport
 * 1980: After the Cross Country Skiing event at the Olympic Winter Games is won by 0.01 seconds, the FIS is forced to change the precision of the timing in the events

Skiing as Recreation

 * 1820: A newspaper in Oslo, Norway carries an advertisement for the sale of skis
 * 1895: The first yearly "ski book" releases in Norway
 * 1904: The first English book written about skiing, title Ski Running, releases
 * 1908: Ski vacations are being advertised and sold in England
 * 1923: Museum of skiing opens in Norway

Poles
Early adaptations of the ski pole featured wood or metal baskets above the tip. These designs were deemed too heavy, and following the conclusion of World War II, it became much more common to make the baskets out of some plastic material, a practice which has continued until today.

In order to better adapt to different styles of skiing, modern skiers use a slightly different pole for each type of skiing. In racing, the poles are typically a much lighter weight, featuring a curve and durable design. Cross country and freestyle skiing utilize much longer, straight poles, so as to make it easier for the skier to reach the ground while traversing the mountain. This is particularly important in the uphill portions of the courses featured in cross country skiing.

Goggles
The invention of the modern ski goggle came in the 1960's with the creation of the double-lens ski goggle. Created by Bob Smith, an orthodontist from Sun Valley Utah, these goggles allowed for air flow behind the lens in order to limit fogging and improve the skiers vision. Although uncommon, injuries to the user's eyes were still occurring due to the use of fragile materials in the lenses of many goggles. It wasn't until the ASTM passed regulations for the materials with which ski goggles could be made from that this issue was addressed. This specification stated that goggles "...required the lenses to be made either of tempered glass or one of the available lens plastics, CR-39 or polycarbonate." The strength of these materials was deemed to be shatter-resistant enough for use in ski goggles, though polycarbonate is the best choice of these three. Despite these findings and analysis, in 1984, shortly after the passing of these regulations, it was found that "the mix of lens materials was approximately 78% glass, 11% plastic, and 11% polycarbonate."

Many modern iterations of ski goggles feature technology which allows the skier to quickly swap the type of lens in their goggles, without needing to bring multiple pairs along with them. The lens of these goggles is typically held in place using magnets or a switch system, and the replacement of these lens can allow the user to swap the amount of tint through which they look to adapt to different lighting situations.