Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 01:19:47 EST

From: Bapopik Bapopik[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Ski/Skee



Remember all those bumper stickers that read, "I'd Rather Be Skiing"?

Where are they now?

"Ski" seems like it's been around forever, but the citations don't start

(with one 1755 exception) until 1885, and even then we have to wait until the

1920s and 1930s to see "ski" and "skiing" become generally accepted.

On my trip to Canada, I was also looking for "hockey." The articles on

Canada's winter sports mentioned "snow-shoes" and "snow-shoeing"--today's

"skis" and "skiing." The modern word comes from Norway.

A Worldcat check for 19th century "ski" citations didn't turn up much.

An 1890 book by Fridtjof Nansen about an 1888-89 Greenland expedition is

called PAA SKI OVER GRONLAND (the 1892 English translation is THE FIRST

CROSSING OF GREENLAND). In the 12 January 1892 HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE,

Charles

Hildreth Blair wrote ""'Skees' and how to make and use them." An 1894 serial

from Oslo is titled SNO OG SKI. In 1895, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published THE

LORD OF CHATEAU NOIR, which included "An Alpine pass on ski." In 1898, Sir

William Martin Conway published WITH SKI & SLEDGE OVER ARCTIC GLACIERS. About

1900, the Theodore A Johnsen Company published THE WINTER SPORT OF SKEEING.

In C. J. J.'s (?) 1902 book, OTIS GREY, BACHELOR, there is a chapter on

"Skiing." In 1902, Ned Taylor published KING OF THE WILD WEST'S WILD GOOSE

BAND, OR, STELLA'S LONG FLIGHT ON SKEES.

In HUTCHINGS' CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE (San Francisco), vol. 1, no. 8,

February 1857, there is an article called "Crossing the Sierras--Norwegian

snow skates," describing the adventures of John A. Thompson ("Snowshoe

Thompson"). The Worldcat Notes have this:



"This is probably first American article about skiing", N. L. Goodrich.



I don't know about that. I'm just getting started. Let me look up "All

American" under "American" again...