Morgedal is a village in Kviteseid Municipality in Telemark county, Norway . The village is located in the mountains along the European route E134 highway, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the northwest of the village of Brunkeberg and about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to the northwest of the village of Kviteseid .
24-584: The village is notable because it is considered to be the birthplace of the sport of downhill skiing . Morgedal was home to Sondre Norheim who is often called the father of modern skiing. It was also home to Torjus Hemmestveit and Mikkjel Hemmestveit , two brothers who created the world's first skiing school in Christiania, Norway in 1881 before emigrating to the United States in the late 19th century. Olav Bjaaland , another skier from Morgedal, journeyed to
48-775: A modified type), and internal ducts blowing hot air on the surface. The forerunners of the snowcat were the tracked "motors" designed by Captain Scott and his engineer Reginald Skelton for the Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition of 1910–1913. These tracked motors were built by the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company in Birmingham . Theodore P. Flynn and the United States Forestry Service in Oregon developed
72-459: A recreation and sport. Military ski races were held in Norway during the 18th century, and ski warfare was studied in the late 18th century. As equipment evolved and ski lifts were developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two main genres of skiing emerged— Alpine (downhill) skiing and Nordic skiing . The main difference between the two is the type of ski binding (the way in which
96-409: A snow tractor in 1937. The name "snowcat" originates from the 1946 trademark by Tucker Sno-Cat Corporation of Medford, Oregon . This specialized over-snow vehicle dominated the snow transportation market until the 1960s when other manufacturers entered the business. By then "snowcat" was such a common description that it was used to describe all over-snow vehicles (see generic trademark ). Tucker
120-425: A solid foam interior. Their design is optimized for a snow surface, or soft grounds such as that of a peat bog . The cabs are optimized for use in sub-zero weather or cold conditions worsened by wind chill , with strong forced heating and a windshield designed to be kept clear of internal and external ice or condensation through a variety of means such as advanced coatings, external scrapers (windshield wipers of
144-540: Is also well known for its use of four tracks on its vehicles. Tucker Sno-Cat is arguably the best known of the early manufacturers and remains in business today. Tucker Sno-Cats have been used by numerous military, governmental agencies and utilities. Competitive snowcat trials were conducted by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in Sun Valley, Idaho from 1950-1952. In the 1955–1958 Fuchs and Hillary Transantarctic Expedition , four modern snowcats were used, produced by
168-775: Is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to travel over snow . Major manufacturers are PistenBully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy), and Tucker (United States). A snowcat dedicated to snow maintenance rather than transport is known as a snow groomer. Other terms are "piste machines", "trail groomers" (in North American English) or "piste bashers" (in British English ) because of their use in preparing ski trails (" pistes ") or snowmobile trails. In addition to grooming snow they are used for polar expeditions, logging in marsh areas, leveling sugar beet piles, medical evacuations, and seismic studies in
192-469: Is practiced in certain areas that are reserved exclusively for ski jumping. Telemark skiing is a ski turning technique and FIS-sanctioned discipline, which is named after the Telemark region of Norway. It uses equipment similar to Nordic skiing, where the ski bindings are attached only at the toes of the ski boots, allowing the skier's heel to be raised throughout the turn. However, the skis themselves are often
216-473: The Elan SCX have enabled the more modern carve turn . Originally and primarily an outdoor winter sport on snow, skiing is also practiced on synthetic "dry" ski slopes , on sand , indoors and with ski simulators . With appropriate equipment, grass skiing and roller skiing are other alternatives which are not performed on snow. Snowcat A snowcat (a portmanteau of snow and cat erpillar )
240-670: The International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Skiing has a history of almost five millennia. Although modern skiing has evolved from beginnings in Scandinavia , it may have been practiced more than 100 centuries ago in the Altai Mountains , according to an interpretation of ancient paintings. However, this continues to be debated. The word "ski" comes from
264-458: The Old Norse word "skíð" which means to "split piece of wood or firewood". Asymmetrical skis were used in northern Finland and Sweden until at least the late 19th century. On one foot, the skier wore a long straight non-arching ski for sliding, and a shorter ski was worn on the other foot for kicking. The underside of the short ski was either plain or covered with animal skin to aid this use, while
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#1732870201108288-608: The South Pole as a member of Amundsen's South Pole expedition . Bjaaland skied at the front of the expedition party so that the sled dogs had something to run after. The Olympic Flames for the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo and the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley , and the flame used in the national torch relay for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer (which was later used as
312-493: The ski boots are attached to the skis). Also called "downhill skiing", Alpine skiing typically takes place on a piste at a ski resort . It is characterized by fixed-heel bindings that attach at both the toe and the heel of the skier's boot. Ski lifts , including chairlifts , bring skiers up the slope. Backcountry skiing can be accessed by helicopter , snowcat , hiking and snowmobile . Facilities at resorts can include night skiing , après-ski , and glade skiing under
336-709: The Imp, Super Imp and Spryte dual-track models. Thiokol manufactured an amphibious version of the Spryte, called the Swamp Spryte. Thiokol sold its ski-lift and snowcat operation in 1978 to John DeLorean , and changed its name to DeLorean Manufacturing Company (DMC). DMC was later bought out by its management team and renamed Logan Machine Company (LMC). LMC ceased production around 2000. The Spryte, sold later as 1200 and 1500 series machines, are still popular in commercial, industrial use, and as privately owned snowcats. In 2002 Ohara acquired
360-795: The Tucker Sno-Cat Corporation. These vehicles were highly modified for the purposes of the expedition. Between 1956 and 1968, Kristi Company made two-track snowcats in Colorado but ceased production with fewer than 200 total units sold. Another early model was the Swedish made Aktiv Snow Trac of which 2265 were manufactured in Sweden between 1957 and 1981. The Snow Trac was used by NATO forces, and by research organizations such as A.N.A.R.E. in Antarctica. Over 1000 Snow Tracs were imported to Canada and
384-561: The United States, mostly by Canadian utilities and U.S. governmental agencies; the Snow Trac is still in common use in private ownership. An updated version called "Sno Trac" is produced by an Idaho company. Around 1959 Bruce Nodwell Ltd. of Canada produced the Nodwell 110, which in 1965 became a new company, Foremost Industries. Thiokol was another American maker of small snowcats, notably
408-471: The bottom of alpine skis to give them traction on snow. This permits Nordic style uphill and back-country travel on alpine skis. For downhill travel, the heels are locked and the skins are removed. The Nordic disciplines include cross-country skiing and ski jumping , which both use bindings that attach at the toes of the skier's boots but not at the heels. Cross-country skiing may be practiced on groomed trails or in undeveloped backcountry areas. Ski jumping
432-485: The flame for the 1994 Winter Paralympics ), were all lit at the Øvrebø farm in Morgedal, the birthplace of Sondre Norheim . This Telemark location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport . Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by
456-403: The long ski supporting the weight of the skier was treated with animal fat in a similar manner to modern ski waxing . Early skiers used one long pole or spear. The first description of a skier with two ski poles dates to 1741. Troops in continental Europe were equipped with skis by 1747. Skiing was primarily used for transport until the mid-19th century but, since then, it has also become
480-634: The rights to make LMC models. Russia as one of the snowiest countries in the world has a wide range of snowcat producers, from the 30-ton load capacity two linked-track Vityaz vehicles to 0.4-2 ton load capacity ZZGT vehicles. Bombardier has been in the snowcat business from 1961 but has radically altered its business model and product selection. Bombardier sold over 3,000 of its popular snow bus models which are still in use today and in popular demand by dedicated collectors. Bombardier sold its snow groomer business to Camoplast in 2004 who in turn sold to it to Leitner Group/ Prinoth in 2005. By 1964, Prinoth
504-531: The same width as Alpine skis. The following skiing disciplines are sanctioned by the FIS . Many have their own world cups and are included in the Winter Olympic Games . Equipment used in skiing includes: Technique has evolved along with ski technology and ski geometry . Early techniques included the telemark turn, the stem , the stem Christie , snowplough , and parallel turn . New parabolic designs like
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#1732870201108528-478: The supervision of the ski patrol and the ski school . Alpine skiing branched off from the older Nordic type of skiing around the 1920s when the advent of ski lifts meant that it was no longer necessary to climb back uphill. Alpine equipment has specialized to the point where it can now only be used with the help of lifts. Alpine Touring setups use specialized bindings which are switchable between locked and free-heel modes. Climbing skins are temporarily attached to
552-514: The wilderness. Most snowcats, such as the ones produced by Bombardier or Aktiv in the past, have two sets of tracks, fitted with a Christie suspension or a Horstmann suspension . Others, like the Tucker Sno-Cat and Hägglunds Bandvagn 206 vehicles, have a complex arrangement of four or more tracks. The tracks are usually made of rubber , aluminum or steel and driven by a single sprocket on each side, and ride over rubber wheels with
576-550: Was mass-producing the P15 snow groomer. Finland companies Formatic (from 1970 to 2008) and Keiteleen Latukone Oy were purchased by Kässbohrer in 2008. In 1972 Japanese Ohara snow groomers worked the Sapporo Winter Olympic Games. Kässbohrer began producing the widely-used PistenBully starting in the early 1970s, with 10,000 sold by the mid 1990s. They launched the first 100% electric snow groomer in 2019. Starting in
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