The Nordics are responsible for the invention of skiing, using it as transport and to assist with hunting. The earliest example of a ski was found in Sweden as early as 4500 B.C.! It’s taken some time (several thousand years, in fact), but with the winter Olympics gaining popularity, winter sports are getting more and more recognition, attracting more people to skiing. Obviously it’s not going to be something we use for travelling like the Nordics did unless, of course, it continues to snow the way it has been just lately, but we’re going to see packed out ski slopes and more holidays to Austria than ever before.

If you’re planning to get into the sport, as with any first time try, you must go in prepared This means skis, protective gear, clothing, hat and gloves, poles, bindings and an instructional DVD or two. You might want to consider getting some lessons though, but we should probably tell you to expect at least one or two injuries before you really get the hang of it. Nothing in life worth getting comes easily.