Cross-country areas and ski trails

In ancient times, people in the far north used cross-country skis as a means of daily transportation. Cross-country skiing originated either in Norway and Sweden or on the Siberian steppe. The first credible accounts of two curved wooden slats that were attached to the feet and used for military purposes and battue hunting date back to the early 11th century.

Cross-country skiing as a sport, on the other hand, did not become popular until 1814, when the Norwegian capital of Oslo held its first race-like event. The first cross-country skiing endurance competitions were documented in Norway in 1843. The first notable competition took place in 1892 at Holmenkollen in Oslo. Skiing only became well-known in Central Europe after 1870 thanks to Norwegian students.

There are two different styles of cross-country skiing: classic and skating (freestyle technique). The classic technique is as old as cross-country skiing itself. This technique uses two parallel tracks. Each leg pushes forward similar to a walking motion.
The skating technique was only developed in the 1980s and is therefore considered the “new” cross-country skiing style. Thanks to its higher speed compared to classic skiing and its dynamic movements and aesthetics, cross-country skiing has found many new enthusiasts. Precursor to the skating technique was the one-sided skating step (Siitonen) in which one leg pushes off to the side. In the skating technique the legs push off alternately out to either side.

Up until well into the 20th century, ski trails were made exclusively by cross-country skiers. Today some popular regional trails are regularly prepared by volunteers in the old-fashioned way.
At winter sport destinations, however, cross-country ski trails are usually prepared mechanically by a snow groomer. For classic style, tracks are set in the snow; for skating technique, a strip of snow several metres wide is flattened.

The largest cross-country skiing area in Switzerland is Engadin-St. Moritz, with 234 km of classic trails and 242 km of skating trails. The lowest-altitude ski trail is located at 550 m above sea level near Schaffhausen in the Randen/Eschheimertal area. The highest-altitude ski trail starts at 2,450 m above sea level in Saas-Fee.