Updated January 25, 2025
If you love skiing, trivia, history, or the Olympics, this article is for you!
Far more than just a sport, skiing is tied to religion, the military, film, transportation, and so much more. It has an incredibly long history and rich cultural significance, dating back thousands of years and spanning across multiple continents. And that’s what led me to write this article.
Even if you’re an avid skier, I bet there are more than a few skiing facts in here that you didn’t already know. And you’ll probably find some of them pretty surprising – I couldn’t believe #12 or #32!
Covering everything from the origins of skiing to the Winter Olympics to ski resorts around the world, these interesting facts about skiing will inspire you to hit the slopes – or just hold you over until next winter.
Table of Contents
Fun Facts About Skiing
Let’s start with a few random pieces of skiing trivia, just for fun.
1. St. Bernard of Montjoux is the patron saint of skiing.
Yes, skiing has a patron saint! St. Bernard of Montjoux is also the patron saint of the Alps and of snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering. He lived in the 11th century and spent most of his life providing hospitality to pilgrims and travelers in the Alps. (Maybe if you’re Catholic, you already knew this?)
Bonus fact: The St. Bernard dog breed is also named for him, as they were famously used to help rescue medieval travelers who were lost in the mountains.
2. Skadi is the Norse goddess of skiing.
Maybe it’s less surprising that there’s a Norse goddess associated with skiing. Skadi is also the goddess of winter, mountains, snowshoeing, and bowhunting. Said to live high in the mountains where the snow never melts, she’s often depicted wearing skis and holding a bow and arrow.
3. Ullr is the Norse god of skiing.
There’s a Norse goddess of skiing, so of course there’s a god, too. Ullr is also the god of snow and of all winter activities. Legend has it that when Ullr left Scandinavia in search of a new home, he chose none other than Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana. Now, the Whitefish Winter Carnival pays homage to him every year.
4. The word “ski” originates from the Old Norse language.
The English word “ski” is taken straight from its original language, Norwegian. And the Norwegian word comes from the medieval Old Norse “skio” or “skith,” both meaning “stick of wood.” Makes sense.
5. The first ski film was a silent movie.
The 1926 German silent movie The Holy Mountain (Der heilige Berg) is generally recognized as the first ski film, although it obviously bears no resemblance to the popular ski films of modern times. It’s something of a romance, but you’d never guess it by looking at the cover. The main character is played by Leni Riefenstahl…who became better known for her Nazi propaganda films.
Facts about the History of Skiing
The evolution of skiing has taken place over thousands of years – from prehistoric people who cross-country skied as a means of transportation in the Arctic, all the way up to today’s luxury ski trips and Olympic sports like ski jumping. Let’s trace the history of this sport as best we can.
6. People have likely been skiing for around 10,000 years.
The most controversial skiing facts must be about its origins. The Sami, the Indigenous people of northern Scandinavia and far northwestern Russia, are widely considered to have been the first (or at least most prolific) skiers. Ancient skis and petroglyphic depictions of skiers dating to 8000-4000 BC have been found in and around Sapmi, the land of the Sami people.
But skis suggested to be just as old have also been unearthed in the Altai Mountains in China, and Chinese archeologists claim this rock carving is of a skier and dates to 10000 BC. Western scientists have evidently dismissed those ideas (because this 5,000-year-old carving from Norway so much more clearly depicts a skier…).
What everyone seems to agree on: skiing originated in northern Eurasia in prehistoric times.
7. The world’s oldest existing ski is 8,000 years old.
Archeologists have uncovered ancient wooden skis throughout the Arctic, and no surprise, there’s debate around which one is the oldest. But most sources seem to agree that the oldest existing ski was found near Lake Sindor in northwestern Russia and dates to about 6000 BC.
8. Ancient skis were often covered in animal hair.
To avoid sliding when going uphill, modern cross-country and backcountry skiers apply wax, attach skins, or use skis with a textured pattern on the underside. Ancient skiers had none of those innovations, so they covered the bottoms of their wooden skis with animal hair to create friction.
Traditional horsehair skis are still being produced in western China, where they are recognized as part of the region’s cultural heritage – and where, in some areas, skiing is the most feasible way to get around in the winter.
9. Until the 1800s, skiing was only a means of transport.
Some details on skiing’s history might be fuzzy, but nobody’s debating these ski facts. Skiing was a means of transportation for thousands of years before anyone ever thought of doing it for fun. And long before becoming recreational, it was used for hunting – which might explains why Skadi (see above) is the Norse goddess of both skiing and hunting.
The evolution of skiing into a recreational activity also coincides with the advent of Alpine (downhill) skiing, literally skiing in the mountains of the Alps. Contrasted with thousands of years of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing has only been around for a couple hundred years.
10. Militaries throughout history have used ski troops.
The use of ski warfare dates back to the 13th century in Scandinavia, and ski troopers were used in the Napoleonic Wars and both World Wars. Skiing gives troops greater mobility, speed, and camouflage, often helping small armies defeat stronger and better-equipped opponents.
11. The first known skiing race took place in 1843.
While there may have been smaller races even earlier, the first one on record is an 1843 cross-country skiing competition in Tromso, Norway.
12. Skiers originally used only one pole.
This is a part of skiing history most skiers probably wouldn’t expect. Personally, I can’t imagine how skiing with one pole would even work. But it was only around 100 years ago that skiing with two poles became the norm, and only because manufacturers started making them from lighter weight materials.
Single-pole traditionalists were not happy with the introduction of the second pole. In fact, one prominent Austrian ski instructor (and diehard one-pole skier) was cited as calling it “pathetic” that someone would “need four legs to ski.”
13. U.S. ski resorts were created to increase train travel.
This is one of the most surprising facts on skiing history, if you ask me. When Union Pacific wanted to boost train travel in the 1930s, they developed the plan to build a destination ski resort in Sun Valley, ID – one that tourists would take the train to visit.
In contrast to the no-frills ski areas that existed before it, Sun Valley opened in 1936 as the first all-inclusive resort in the U.S., complete with the lodging, dining, and apres-ski activities that are now the hallmarks of a ski vacation. Who would have thought a railroad company played a major role in the evolution of skiing?
14. Union Pacific created the world’s first chairlifts.
Sun Valley Resort had the world’s first chairlift, also a brainchild of Union Pacific. Prior to that, skiers mostly had to hike up the mountain if they wanted to ski. The railroad wanted to make skiing easier and more comfortable, in order to attract the clientele that might buy train tickets.
Railroad engineers developed plans for the chairlift, and two single-chair lifts were installed before Sun Valley opened in 1936. These and other early lifts had a blanket on each seat to keep skiers warm, which an employee at the top of the mountain would fold and send back down. Sometimes I wish we still had that!
Facts about Olympic Skiing
The Winter Olympics only come around once every four years, but Olympic races are what many people associate with skiing. Here are some facts about skiing in the Olympics that you should know before the 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
15. There are currently six skiing disciplines in the Olympics.
It’s hard to keep track of all the different types of skiing in the Olympics, but maybe this cheat sheet will help:
- Alpine Skiing: Downhill skiing (more or less)
- Biathlon: The one where you cross-country ski and also shoot a rifle
- Cross-Country Skiing: Done at lots of different distances
- Freestyle Skiing: Jumps, flips, and tricks, including the halfpipe
- Nordic Combined: Combination of cross-country skiing and ski jumping (a men’s only event…)
- Ski Jumping: Like the long jump (kind of), but on skis
16. Across those six disciples are over 50 skiing events.
The events are roughly half men’s and half women’s, with a few mixed-gender team competitions. Most of the better known events come from Alpine skiing (like the slalom, giant slalom, and downhill) and freestyle skiing (including the moguls, aerials, and halfpipe).
17. A new skiing discipline will be added to the 2026 Olympics.
Ski mountaineering (also called “skimo”) resembles prehistoric skiing perhaps more than any other event. It’s not only about skiing down mountains – it’s also about getting up them. Ski mountaineers climb or ski up mountains before skiing down them, using or carrying skis, skins, crampons, axes, shovels, and other gear as needed.
18. Nordic skiing appeared in the very first Winter Olympics.
Given that Nordic skiing is one of the oldest (the oldest?) winter sports, it’s no surprise it was part of the original Winter Olympic.
The 1924 Olympics in Chamonix, France – the very first Winter Games – included events in cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic Combined, as well as Military Patrol (an old form of the biathlon). However, all of these events were for men only.
19. Alpine skiing was added to the Olympics in 1936.
Twelve years (and three Olympics) later, both men’s and women’s Olympic Alpine skiing events took place for the first time, at the 1936 Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
20. Women competed in Olympic cross-country skiing for the first time in 1952.
I’m not sure why women were allowed to compete in downhill skiing for almost 20 years before they got cross-country events. Or more outrageously, how men had cross-country competitions for nearly 30 years before women’s races started. But women’s cross-country was finally introduced at the 1952 Olympics in Oslo.
21. There is STILL no women’s competition in the Nordic Combined.
Men’s Nordic Combined has been part of the Winter Olympics since the very beginning. A literal century later, there’s still no event for women. And it’s not because they don’t want one.
Women’s Nordic Combined was slated to be added to the 2022 Olympics, until the IOC unexpectedly canceled it. Certain to gain a spot next time, organizers continued planning for the 2026 Olympics – only to have the IOC vote to exclude it again. It is the only Winter Olympic sport without a women’s event.
22. Norway has won the most Olympic medals in four of the six skiing disciplines.
Austria has won the most medals in Olympic downhill skiing, and the U.S. and Canada are tied for the most medals in freestyle skiing. But Norway has won more Olympic medals than any other country in cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and the biathlon. Based on all the other information about skiing we’ve learned so far, that’s probably no surprise!
23. There was a first-place tie in skiing at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
This is a great piece of ski trivia. In a rare Olympic tie, Tina Maze of Slovenia and Dominique Gisin of Switzerland both took home a gold medal in 2014, after clocking the same time in the women’s downhill race (down to the hundredth of a second!).
24. Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen is the most decorated Winter Olympian in history.
Marit Bjorgen participated in every Winter Olympics from 2002 to 2018 (!), competing in seven different cross-country skiing events. She raced 24 times in total – and won 15 medals, eight of them gold.
25. The first Winter Paralympic Games only had skiing events.
The first Winter Paralympics took place in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, in 1976. The Games were comprised only of skiing – with 53 different events across Alpine and cross-country skiing.
26. The Paralympics currently has three skiing disciplines.
There are three Paralympic skiing disciplines, and they all appear in the Olympics as well: Alpine skiing, biathlon, and cross-country skiing.
27. Across those three disciplines are nearly 70 events.
There are considerably more skiing events in the Paralympics than in the Olympics, despite having half the disciplines. And that’s because most events have three categories: sitting, standing, and vision-impaired.
Cross-Country Skiing Facts
Cross-country skiing isn’t nearly as popular as downhill, but it’s certainly a lot cheaper and more accessible. And if you’ve ever tried it, you know what a tough workout it is! Here are some interesting facts about skiing that are specific to the Nordic variety.
28. There are two types of cross-country skiing.
- Classic skiing: The skis are longer, and both skis mostly stay on the ground in two parallel tracks – much like those old NordicTrack machines.
- Skate skiing: Skiers use a motion that resembles ice skating, allowing them to go much faster.
29. Cross-country skiing only requires four inches of snow.
At least eight inches is ideal, but four inches is usually manageable – good news for places that aren’t getting much snow.
30. The record for distance skied in 24 hours is nearly 300 (!) miles.
Hans Maenpaa of Finland set the record in 2018, cross-country skiing 293.28 miles (472.007 km) in 24 hours. Anni Angeria, also Finnish, set a new women’s record at the same event, skiing 233.32 miles (375.50 km). For comparison, I would consider about eight miles to be a huge day of cross-country skiing!
31. Cross-country skiing is a tough – and beneficial – workout.
If you’re skiing for fitness, cross-country will get you more bang for your buck than downhill – in part because you won’t spend half your day waiting in line or sitting on the chairlift! Cross-country skiing is a full-body workout, strengthening your legs, core, arms, and back. It also improves balance and endurance, increases cardiovascular health, and, yes, torches calories.
Downhill Skiing Facts
Downhill, or Alpine, skiing is what comes to mind when most people think of skiing. Maybe because the steep slopes and high speeds make it feel more exciting than cross-country? In any case, these are a few more skiing facts that are specific to downhill.
32. The fastest skiing speed ever recorded is over 158 miles per hour.
In 2023, French skier Simon Billy broke the world speed skiing record, when he reached a speed of 158.76 mph (255.50 kph). Italian Valentina Greggio has held the women’s record since 2016, when she set it with a speed of 153.53 mph (247.083 kph).
33. Downhill skiing is the fastest non-motorized sport.
Most people think of the luge when they think of going really fast – but lugers only get up to a comparatively snail-like 90 mph (145 kph)!
34. Skiers only started wearing helmets in the early-2000s.
Once shunned as uncool, helmets are now a staple piece of downhill skiing gear. Helmet use among skiers increased from 5 percent in 1995 to 76 percent in 2010 – to over 90 percent by 2022.
This shift, now keeping skiers safer, was unfortunately born out of tragedy. Sonny Bono’s death after a skiing accident in 1998 brought attention to the risks of skiing and prompted a rise in helmet use.
Facts about Ski Resorts
For most people, ski resorts are at the heart of ski culture. They’re the crux of the ski trip, the definition of ski season, and the topic of most ski movies. So here are some interesting facts about ski resorts, in the U.S. and around the world.
Ski Resorts Around the World
35. There are more than 6,000 ski resorts around the world.
I don’t know how many I would have expected, but it definitely wasn’t over 6,000. Granted, I think this number includes dry-surface, sand, and indoor resorts – but still.
36. At least 68 countries have ski resorts.
That’s around a third of the countries in the world.
37. Germany has the most ski resorts of any country.
There are over 650 (!) ski resorts in Germany, a country that’s not even as big as Montana.
38. There are ski resorts in some unexpected countries.
A few of the most surprising ones are Australia, India, and Lebanon.
39. The biggest ski resort in the world is Les Trois Vallées.
Called Three Valleys in English, this ski area in the French Alps is technically made up of seven separate resorts that link together. Altogether, it has over 370 miles (600 km) of ski runs, served by 156 lifts.
40. The world’s oldest ski resort is in La Clusaz, France.
Also in the French Alps, La Clusaz has been in operation since 1907.
41. There are around 125 indoor ski resorts in the world.
And here you assumed skiing was exclusively an outdoor sport! Indoor ski areas are found primarily in England, northern Europe, and East and Southeast Asia, as well as the UAE (why is that last one not surprising?).
42. There are at least 250 dry-surface ski resorts in the world.
Oh, you also thought skiing needed snow? Think again!
I had never heard of this until we were visiting the U.K., and saw that Google Maps showed a “ski resort” in the strikingly flat and snow-free town we were visiting. Turned out, it was a dry-surface resort!
Instead of snow-covered mountains, dry ski areas use a synthetic surface made of rubber or plastic that mimics the texture of snow. They can be indoor or outdoor, are usually open year-round, and have a lower environmental impact than a regular ski resort. I don’t think this list is even exhaustive, and it shows about 250 of them around the world, with the biggest concentrations in the U.K., the Netherlands, and China.
U.S. Ski Resorts
43. The U.S. has nearly 500 ski resorts.
The 486 ski resorts in the U.S. means…an average of 9.7 per state?
44. Over half of American ski resorts are less than 1,000 feet tall.
So, while the U.S. does have tons of ski resorts, a lot of those mountains are pretty small.
45. There is one indoor ski resort in the U.S.
It seems like indoor skiing hasn’t caught on in the U.S. as much as in other parts of the world. The U.S.’s only indoor ski area is Big Snow American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ, although other resorts are planned in Dallas, Las Vegas, and Fairfax, VA.
Tickets at New Jersey indoor resort cost $60 for two hours. For comparison, that will get you a full day of skiing at some of the (outdoor!) ski areas in Montana, including Turner Mountain and Teton Pass.
46. Ski resorts currently operate in 36 states.
Ski resorts are spread all through the U.S., with the exceptions – as you can see on this map – of the Great Plains and the Deep South (mostly).
47. You’ll find ski resorts in some surprising states.
Who knew there were ski resorts in Indiana, Missouri, or South Dakota?
48. New York has more ski resorts than any other state.
This is a piece of skiing trivia that could come up at your next quiz night! New York has a whopping 52 ski resorts.
49. There are three ski resorts on Native American reservations.
Sunrise Park Resort is on the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona and is owned and run by the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Ski Apache is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe and sits just on the edge of their reservation in New Mexico.
And here in Montana, Bear Paw Ski Bowl is located on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. It’s managed by a non-profit and run almost entirely by volunteers, with the few paid jobs reserved for tribal members.
50. Most downhill skiing in the U.S. is on public land.
Some ski resorts actually own the land they sit on. But 122 of them, mainly in the West, actually just lease land from the Forest Service. That accounts for 60 percent of the downhill skiing in the country, since smaller ski areas tend to be the ones on private land.
51. Vail owns 36 ski resorts in the U.S.
Many of the big resorts you’ve probably heard of – and assumed were totally separate – are actually all owned by Vail, including Breckenridge, Crested Butte, and Park City. But I’m proud to say they do not own any of the ski areas in Montana! It seems our neighbors in Idaho and Wyoming have successfully fended them off as well.
Bonus fact: Vail runs the Epic Pass, which is a pass that includes access to all of their ski areas and partners (in case you want to ONLY ski at the most corporate resorts).
52. Presidents’ Day weekend is the busiest weekend for American ski resorts.
Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend is second. If at all possible, try to avoid skiing on either of these weekends. You’ll save money and find less crowds at literally any other time.
53. The biggest ski resort in the U.S. is Park City.
Montana’s Big Sky Resort once held this title, but Park City expanded in 2014 to take the title. Today, it has 7,300 acres of skiable terrain, served by 40 lifts.
54. Breckenridge is the most-visited ski resort in the U.S.
No doubt Breckenridge is one of the most famous ski resorts. But I would have expected the most-visited resort to be one where lift tickets don’t cost over $200?
55. Howelsen Hill Ski Area is the oldest ski hill in the U.S.
This tiny Colorado ski area opened in 1915. Owned and operated by the City of Steamboat Springs, it’s just 440 tall and only has two lifts. But it’s also home to North America’s largest natural ski jumping complex, and dozens of Olympic skiers and snowboarders got their start at Howelson Hill.
Difficult Facts About Skiing
As much as I love skiing, not everything about this sport is fun or positive – far from it, actually. These are a few important things to consider next time you hit the slopes.
56. Skiing is severely lacking in diversity.
Winter sports are a shockingly white endeavor, which should be obvious to anyone who’s ever visited a ski resort or watched skiing on TV. This is perhaps less notable in Europe, where most countries have more homogenous populations than the U.S., particularly those known for skiing.
But it’s striking nearly 90 percent of visitors to U.S. ski resorts last year were white, while just one percent were Black. Skiers and researchers alike have long speculated on the lack of diversity in U.S. skiing.
For the most part, U.S. ski resorts effectively banned Black people until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Even today, the mix of ongoing discrimination, high cost, time commitment, gear required, and rural locations keeps skiing inaccessible to most BIPOC Americans.
But organizations like the National Brotherhood of Skiers, which provides support to Olympic-level skiers of color and aims to diversify participation in winter sports, are working to change that.
57. The environmental impact of skiing is substantial.
Skiing has long been seen as an ecological nightmare, starting with the soil erosion and wildlife disturbances caused by the creation of resorts. But less than one quarter of the average ski trip’s carbon footprint is actually from skiing, and choosing second-hand gear and ski areas with sustainable practices will go a long way toward reducing that.
The rest is from transportation, lodging, and food – none of which are unique to skiing. The more ski resorts rely on snowmaking, however, the greater the environmental impact will be.
Backcountry and cross-country skiing have a much smaller environmental impact than skiing at a resort. They use very little water and electricity, require almost no infrastructure, create less pollution, don’t result in overtourism, and have less impact on wildlife and soil.
58. Relatedly, climate change poses a major threat to skiing.
Researchers and skiers alike have been pondering the future of skiing – and the outlook isn’t good.
Warmer temperatures and less snowfall are already causing shorter ski seasons in most regions, and extreme fluctuations are causing worse and more dangerous conditions. Climate changes are pushing more resorts to make artificial snow, which itself worsens the environmental impact of skiing – and drives up the prices.
By 2050, the winter recreation season in most places is projected to be half as long as it is now. Worse, by 2100, the ski industry will likely only exist in very high-altitude or northern locations. Cross-country skiing is also at risk, but much less so, as it doesn’t require nearly as much snow, as much space, or such specific conditions.
59. Brain and spinal cord injuries among skiers are increasing.
As technical advances in equipment allow people to ski faster and acrobatic maneuvers get more popular, the risk of serious injury has gone up. At the same time, typical ski helmets – while they provide some protection – are just not good enough anymore.
So pay attention to where you’re going, and don’t do things that are beyond your abilities. Be especially careful if skiing on artificial snow and if the snow is icy or the cover is thin. And yes, wear a helmet, and make sure it fits correctly.
60. Knee injuries are the most common injuries in skiing.
Thankfully nowhere near as serious as brain or spinal cord damage, knee injuries are much more common among skiers. In fact, about one third of all injuries from skiing are knee injuries, mostly to the ACL or MCL. If you’ve had one of these injuries, you know they can take a long time to recover from and sometimes require surgery.
61. There’s a common injury called skier’s thumb.
You could likely have guessed that knee injuries are the most common in skiing, but the second-most common will probably surprise you: thumb injuries.
Skier’s thumb is a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament, which connects the bones in the thumb. It can happen when a skier falls and lands on their hand, catching their thumb in the snow or on a ski pole and bending it too far out or back. Really makes me want to forgo using my pole straps!
And there you have it – more information about skiing you could possibly have wanted. If you’ve read all the way to the end, I hope you’ve learned something and gotten inspired to strap on your skis.
Do you know any fun facts about skiing that weren’t listed? Drop them in the comments!
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