The invention of the ski has contributed greatly to society for the past 5,000 years. Unlike today, early skis were not used for fun and leisure but for work and transportation, playing a key role in both hunting and warfare. They were made of wood and were not designed for speed: They simply served the purpose of keeping the traveler on top of the snow, with walking sticks employed to keep balance.
Hunters have been using skis to chase animals in ice-covered terrain since around 3000 B.C.E., when the Lapps from Sapmi (a territory incorporating parts of present-day Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) began to use skis extensively. However, it is not clear who invented skiing. The world's oldest surviving ski dates back to around 3000 B.C.E. and was discovered at Kalvtrask, northern Sweden, in 1924. It is 80 inches (204 cm) long and 6 inches (15.5 cm) wide, that is, slightly longer and twice as wide as modern skis. The earliest indirect evidence for the use of skis in ancient civilizations may date back even further, with rock carvings near the White Sea and Lake Onega in Russia thought to be more than 5,000 years old. However, the most famous ancient rock carvings depicting skiers— wearing animal masks and mounted on very long skis—are located in Rodoy, Norway.
Well preserved skis have also been found under the surface of bogs in Finland and Sweden. However, predating these is the earliest ski—a Norwegian word deriving from an Old Norse term meaning "stick of wood"—which looked very different from its modern relative. It was made from the bones of big animals, and leather strips were used to attach it to the boot.
