Ski Kid

A deep devotion to downhill adventure started before he ever stepped into two skis.

- James Mccullough

In Norse mythology, Skaði, the goddess of skiing, appears from ancient narrative like those goddesses and gods of my early youth, carving down slopes with abilities that appeared to me as magical and distant as the North Star. No doubt the myth echoes the imaginings of even earlier cultures whose remains are emerging in receding glaciers, bogs and on billion-year-old bedrock across the northern rim of Asia and Europe. Anthropologists have discovered pictographs and petroglyphs painted and etched of figures on skis: one holds a stick, perhaps for steering, others aim bows and arrows in pursuit of game. Perhaps the images honor the most heroic among them, or simply testify to the utility or the pleasure of strapping on skis, seeking speed and agility on snow.

I imagine their ancient ingenuity as they crafted furs and wood, boots and bindings. No doubt it took a special skill and athleticism to master both craft and the pull of gravity with such crude instruments.