Page:Prehistoric and Medieval Skis from Glaciers and Ice Patches in Norway.pdf/11

Prehistoric and Medieval Skis from Glaciers and Ice Patches in Norway University of Oslo. Unfortunately, it has proven impossible to locate the original radiocarbon report. The front part of the ski is preserved to a length of 88.5 cm, with a greatest width of 9.5 cm. The thickness varies, but it is only 1 cm at most. Along the top of the front half there is a raised ridgeline. There are no remains of the binding area and no information is available on wood species.

The Dalfonn 2 ski (C55715) is dated to cal. 566–651 CE. The ski is delaminated and is preserved in 13 larger pieces up to ~ 50 cm and numerous fragments. On one fragment there is preserved a raised ridge that would have run along the center of the skis upper side, just as on the Dalfonn 1 ski. No clear binding area is visible on the fragments. It is made from pine.

The two Dalfonn skis could possibly be a pair. The dates are similar, they share the same raised ridgeline and the finder believes they were found in nearly the same spot (Hole 2015, 9).

The Vossaskavlen ski pair

Two skis (Figure 10) were found at the northern part of Vossaskavlen ice patch in Hordaland County in 1931 and 1963, respectively (SK201a-6). The ice patch has also yielded remains of a sled from c. 600 CE (Bjørgo et al. 2015). The general area is known as an important mountain crossing in historical times (Tobiassen 1988).

The skis are so similar that it is very likely that they are a pair. A radiocarbon date from the ski found in 1963 gave cal 1215–1290 CE (Sørensen 1995b, 63). This was quite surprising to ski historians, who are more inclined to date the skis to no earlier than