Page:Prehistoric and Medieval Skis from Glaciers and Ice Patches in Norway.pdf/9

Prehistoric and Medieval Skis from Glaciers and Ice Patches in Norway from more recent times that rope or string was attached to the hole to allow for dragging the skis when the skier was walking on foot. A third known function is that strings were attached to the ski tip to facilitate steering when going downhill (Berg 1993, 55,; [sic] Wiklund 1931, 22ff). There are no grooves, raised edges or clear wear traces on the underside of the ski. This opens the possibility that the ski may have been lined with fur, even if there are no holes for sinew.

The preserved binding enhances the importance of the Digervarden ski. Preserved bindings on prehistoric skis are very rare, and the only published example beside the Digervarden ski is the 1500-year-old Mänttä ski, published by Janne Vilkuna (1998). This is also a Manker type C1 ski, and with holes for attaching fur along the sides. In the horizontal hole passing under the foot of the Digervarden ski there are remains of withe used in the binding around the front of the foot. A double leather string goes through the same hole. On both sides, this string forms a loop (Figures 5B and 6B). A long leather string is fastened to the left loop. Most likely, this long string is part of a heel binding.

Types of binding have been much discussed in publications on ski history (Berg 1993). The oldest drawings documenting Norwegian ski bindings are from the seventeenth century. They depict a toe binding of withe and a heel binding of leather. Sami skis from the last two–three hundred years also have both toe- and heel-binding, but show many different types of binding techniques (Berg 1993). Both the Mänttä ski and the Digervarden ski show that the use of a heel binding has a long tradition. Skis with a heel-binding make it possible to add power to the step forward and provide a much better stability than skis with just a toe-binding. This is a great help when going uphill. With a heel binding it is also much easier to steer during skiing downhill or on flats. Skis with only a toe binding are more suitable when the ski is used intermittently—skiing some distances and walking others.

In contrast to the Lendbreen ski/snowshoe, the Digervarden ski fits well into the known regional and Nordic ski material. The ski from Alvdal, Hedmark County