It Started As A Means Of Transport During The Winter Season In Scandinavia. Nordic Skiing Is A General Term For The Types Of Skiing Where The Ski Is Unattached At The Heel Of The Boot Allowing Free Up And Down Movement Of The Heel. It Covers A Variety Of Ski Equipment As Well As Ski Disciplines And Techniques Including Cross-country Skiing (XC Skiing), Telemark Skiing And Ski Jumping. Nordic Skis Are Generally Lightweight And Often Made Of Wood And Synthetic Materials Such As Foam And Plastic. Boots Are Made Of Either Plastic Or Leather With Only The Toe Attached To The Ski. The Free Heel, Which Is The Distinguishing Element Of Nordic Skiing, Allows Easy Navigation Over Diverse Terrain. Skis Attached At Both Heel And Toe Are Used In Another Skiing Discipline Called Alpine Or Downhill Skiing Because The Heel Has To Be Very Stable When Skiers Are Going Downhill At Fast Speeds.CompetitionsNordic Skiing Is A Popular Event In The Winter Olympic Games, Wherein Competitions Aredivided Into Cross-country Skiing, Ski Jumping And A Combination Of The First Two Called Nordic Combined. In Nordic Combined, A Skier Will Compete In The Cross-country Skiing Event And The Ski Jumping. The Skier With The Highest Combined Score From The Two Events Wins. Skiers May Opt To Compete In The Individual Ski Jumping Or Cross-country Skiing Events Only Or They May Participate In More Than One Nordic Skiing Event.There Is Also The Nordic World Ski Championships, Which Started In 1925. Like The Winter Olympics, It Features Competition Events In The Three Nordic Skiing Disciplines. For The First Decade Or So Since It Began, They Held The Nordic World Ski Championships Every Year. From 1948 Through 1982, They Held It Every Even-numbered Year And This Changed Since 1985 When Organizers Decided To Hold It Every Odd-numbered Year. The All-time Top Performing Countries Not Surprisingly Are Norway With Over 200 Medals Received Followed By Finland, Russia, Sweden And Germany.As RecreationNordic Skiing Is Not Just For Athletes. Practically Anyone, Young Or Old, Can Go Nordic Skiing. As Long As There Is Enough Snow, You Can Head To A Park; Forest Trail, Mountain Trail, Ski Club And Other Areas Fit For Recreational Nordic Skiing. There Are Plenty Of Excellent Winter Resorts Featuring Nordic Skiing Trails As Well As Learning Schools. Popular Skiing States Are Alaska, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon And Vermont, Among Others.
