1,300-year-old skis: melting glacier reveals prehistoric wooden skis in the Norwegian mountains

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The prehistoric skis were buried underneath the glacier for over a thousand years before researchers made the discovery

Researchers with the skis
Archaeologists from Secrets of the Ice with one of the prehistoric skis (Image credit: Photo: Andreas Christoffer Nilsson, secretsoftheice.com)

Melting glaciers in the Norwegian mountains have led to a startling discovery of a prehistoric pair of skis estimated to be some 1,300-year-old.

Researchers from the Secrets of the Ice archaeology program found the ancient pair of skis intact and in decent condition, buried under the melting ice of Norway's Digervarden mountain.

The wooden skis were found just a few yards from the spot where another pair was discovered seven years ago. The find offers scientists a remarkable insight into the lives of pre-historic mountainous people.

"This discovery is ground-breaking for two reasons," archaeologist and co-director Lars Holger Pilø told GlacierHub.

"First, it demonstrates that humans used the high mountains for hunting and transport during winter, despite the considerable risks involved.

"Second, the skis' remarkable preservation, including their bindings, allows us to create precise replicas and experiment with how Iron Age humans might have skied."

One ski is made from pine wood, and the other from birch, but their proximity and near-identical carbon dating suggest they were used as a pair.

Researchers uncover ancient skis

Archaeologists work to uncover the skis (Image credit: Andreas Christoffer Nilsson, secretsoftheice.com)

According to a 2023 scientific analysis published in the journal Nature, Central Europe alone lost 39% of its glacial coverage between 2000 and 2023. This rapid melting has led to multiple similar archaeological finds in recent years. In January, scientists in the Rocky Mountains uncovered the remains of a 6,000-year-old Whitebark Pine forest, untouched for thousands of years beneath the frozen Beartooth plateau.

The next month, Swiss archaeologists stumbled upon a strange cart-like contraption in a similarly retreating glacier.

"The rapid melting of glacial ice due to anthropogenic climate change is revealing archaeological objects that have been frozen for centuries or even millennia," explained Pilø.

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Will Symons
Will Symons
Staff Writer

Will Symons developed his love of the outdoors as a student, exploring every inch of Sussex’s South Downs national park and wild swimming off the Brighton seafront. Now a Staff Writer for Advnture, Will previously worked as a freelance journalist and writer, covering everything from cricket to ancient history. Like most Advnture staff, Will’s time is rarely spent indoors, he can often be found hiking, wild swimming or playing cricket.