Identifier: stnicholasserial301dodg (find matches)
Title: St. Nicholas (serial)
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Dodge, Mary Mapes, 1830-1905
Subjects: Children's literature
Publisher: (New York : Scribner & Co.)
Contributing Library: Information and Library Science Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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skees become very smooth under-neath, and slip over the snow-crystals almostwithout friction. While moving, the skee ishalf shoved, half lifted onward; but never inordinary walking is it lifted from the surface ofthe snow; the runner just eases its weight byresting on one skee and shoving the other for-ward. In this way the runner on level groundglides forward two lengths of his skee, or twentyfeet, at each stride. He can thus, with ease,keep up with a trotting horse before a sledge.The Norwegian Lapp has been known to catchthe wolf in flight on level ground—the wolf, ofcourse, being somewhat handicapped by sink-ing in at every step, while the runner withoutdifficulty remains on top of the snow. When the surface of the snow has becomeicy by alternate thawing and freezing, the speedof the skee-runner, even on the slightest incline,becomes very great; and on a steep hill thespeed is like that of an arrow from a strongbow. Only those who have grown into the SKEE-JUMPING IN NORWAY. *37
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HE SHOOTS OUT (SEE PAGE 138.) use of skees from boyhood, can ever become combines carrying power with great speed, experts, or enjoy whole days of travel on them. The skees are for some peasants the only way Unlike the Canadian snow-shoe, which reminds of traveling in winter, and they are also used one of a huge tennis-racket, the Norwegian skee almost throughout the country for sporting pur-Vol. XXX.—18-19. 38 SKEE-JUMPIXG IN NORWAY (Dec. poses. Traveling uphill on skees is hard work.One has to tack upward, as a sail-boat beatsagainst the wind. It is, of course, in speedingdownhill that the skees are at their best. In recent years skeeing has become verypopular as a sport. A great match takes placeevery year. The day on which it is held hasgrown into a national holiday, and people comefrom far off—from Finland, from Sweden, andfrom the most remote parts of Norway — tothese great competitions. The test usually con-sists in cross-country running, and in the so-called jumping cont

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