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Welcome to our newsletter for
December. Topic is recreation - skiing. |
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**** If you can't
see the images then click here. **** |
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It's
winter, and the most popular sport for this season is skiing. |
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Global
warming
has had a huge affect on skiing as each year there is less snow. Click Here to watch video. |
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Click here to view larger image |
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There's different types of skiing. |
Bindings |
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Nordic
skiing
is the oldest category and includes sport that evolved from skiing as done
in Scandinavia. Nordic style bindings attach at the toes of the
skier's boots, but not at the heels. |
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Alpine
skiing
includes sports that evolved from skiing as done in the Alps. Alpine bindings attach at
both the toe and the heel of the skier's boots. |
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There is a indication that
skiing started 5000 years ago. This indication came from a picture in a
cave in Norway. The picture shows a stick man holding a hunting tool and on
two long sticks of wood representing skis |
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These
people were called the Sami, click here to watch video. |
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Sondre Norheim - the father of modern skiing. |
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Born
at Overbo and raised in Morgedal in the municipality of Kviteseid in Telemark, he took to downhill skiing as a recreational activity,
rising to local fame for his skills. He made important innovations in
skiing technology by designing new equipment, such as different bindings and shorter skis with curved sides to facilitate turns. |
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In
1868 he won the first national skiing competition in Christiania, beating his younger
competitors by a large margin. His reputation grew, and eventually made Norwegian words like ski and slalom known worldwide. Sondre Norheim is also known
as the father of Telemark skiing. Click Here to watch video. |
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The
Alps: are
what snowy mountain peaks are called. |
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Slopes: The decline of a snowy hill
or mountain. |
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Freestyle:
began in
the 1930s, when Norwegian
skiers began performing acrobatics
during alpine and
cross-country
training. Later, non-competitive professional skiing exhibitions in the United States featured
performances of what would later be called freestyle. |
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Freestyle
skiing began to develop further throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s,
when it was often known as "hot-dogging."
This means to show off. Click Here to watch video. |
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Bobsled: this sport features two to
four athletes sliding very fast down an icy track.
Click Here to watch video. |
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Cross
country:
is skiing over a long distance and often through a forest. Click Here to watch video. |
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A snowboard
is a thin, hourglass shaped board ridden down a sloped section of earth
covered in snow. It is often thought of as the winter equivalent of skateboarding, as the rider's
feet are bound to the board via bindings. Click Here to watch video. |
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Curling: played by two teams of four
players each on a rectangular sheet of carefully prepared ice. |
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Figure
skating:
a competition for couples that perform a routine with music. Click Here to watch video. |
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Teams
take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones down the ice towards the
target. Click Here to watch video. |
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Speed
Skating:
is an Olympic sport where competitors are timed while crossing a set
distance. Click Here to watch video. |
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Luge: is a small one- or two-person
sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first.
Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting
opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. |
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Click Here to watch video. |
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Ski
jump: is
a sport in which skiers go down an "in run" with a take-off ramp (the jump), attempting to go
as far as possible. Click Here to watch video. |
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Slalom: is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing
between poles (gates) spaced much closer together, thereby causing quicker and
shorter turns. |
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Click Here to watch video. |
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Biathlon:
is the
winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Click Here to watch video. |
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Chair
lift:
it's an easy and quick way to go up a mountain. |
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Poles: to help keep you balanced
when skiing. |
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Ski
suit: a
suit designed specifically to keep you warm and dry, even in snow |
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Sled:
sit in
this and go down the hill. |
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Snowmobile:
propelled
by a track or tracks at the rear and steered by skis at the front. Click Here to watch video. |
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Beanie: made out of wool to keep your
head warm. |
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Goggles:
the
glare of the sunlight from the snow is very bright, you'll need these. |
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Balaclava:
like the
beanie but covers your entire head for extra warmth. Also called a ski mask. |
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Glacier: is a large, slow-moving river
of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that
slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure. |
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Click Here to watch video. |
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Avalanche:
is an abrupt and rapid flow of snow, often mixed
with air and water, down a mountainside. Avalanches are among the biggest dangers
in the mountains for both life and property. Click Here to watch video. |
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Powder |
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Freshly
fallen, uncompressed snow,
ideal for skiers for a fast and smooth ski. |
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Ski
instructor: this is a popular job, especially to college students on their
winter break. |
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Resort:
where
you will stay when you are on your skiing trip. |
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Snowflakes: snow crystals form when tiny
super cooled cloud droplets freeze. No two snowflakes are identical. |
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Children
like to catch them on their tongues. |
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Hit
the slopes |
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To go
skiing. |
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"This
winter, we're going to hit the slopes." |
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The snowball effect |
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Something that starts off as
small then gradually gets bigger. |
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"He was the first person
to do something, then it had a snowball effect and now everybody is doing
it." |
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Treading
on thin ice |
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You
are doing something that will get you in trouble. For instance, a child has
been told by his mother many times not to do something. If he does it again
she will punish him. |
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"Don't
do that again, you're treading on thin ice!" |
