Skiing in ancient Estonia

Like the sauna, the ski is an invention of Finnic peoples, dating back as far as 8,000 years, in what is now Finnish-speaking western Russia. So, that’s at least two inventions the Estos, Finns and Lapplanders (Sámi) have bestowed on the rest of the world, as I continue my search for others.

As to the ski, the Estonian word, suusk, is similar to Finnish suksi, and Sámi sabek. Other Uralic languages have similar words. The purpose was foot transport during the long northern winters, and still today.

Our father walked to and from school on skis during the Second World War, when living on the family farm in the north of Estonia. Roughly made from shaped wooden planks, they had a thong fitted for boots to slide into, and were sealed with tar underneath for sliding on snow and ice.

Today cross-country skiing is thought of as a Norse invention, hence also “Nordic skiing”. But the oldest rock paintings depicting skiers of 6,000 years ago are located in the north of Norway, in Finnmark, in deepest Sámi country. More recent Scandinavian rock art shows hunters standing with their skis angled to each other, ready to shoot with bow and arrow.

The earliest skis were of several types: the Sámi used short wooden skis covered in fur and a single pole for support, while the southern Baltic style featured one long ski for sliding, and a short ski for kicking or pushing along, for ease of travel in forest country. There was also a hybrid of the two styles.

Writing in c. 550 CE the Byzantine scholar Procopius wrote of Sámi people as  skrithiphinoi, or sliding Finns, the earliest documented western reference to skiing.

Skiing has come a long way from those early times, branching out into the downhill skiing familiar to New Zealand skiers, acrobatic events, biathlon cross-country skiing and shooting sporting events, telemark skiing, ski touring, and to ski jumping and cross-county endurance events.

51st Tartu ski marathon. Photo courtesy of Uudised - Suusamaratoni fotod

At the time of writing the ski season in Estonia has passed. The 51st Tartu ski marathon took place on 16 February, the winners, Lauri Lepistö (Finland, men’s) and Teesi Tuul (Estonia, women’s). Ordinarily, the race starts at Otepää and runs 63km to Elva, however, this year, snow was lacking. The event shifted to the Alutaguse Health & Sports Centre in the forested northeast of Estonia, the trail length contracted to 40km, and still attracting 4,000 competitors.

With spring on the way, Estonia’s ski athletes will be back to training on wooden roller skis, as we saw in force when cycling through Otepää, the country’s winter sports centre.