Sondre Norheim - Father of Modern Skiing

The word “ski” is a Norwegian word which comes from the Old Norse word “skid”, a split length of wood. And we know that skis have been used in Norway for more than 4,000 years. Rock carvings from Northern Norway confirm this. 

There have been many famous skiers from Norway, but one stands above them all.  Sondre Norheim was born in Telemark County, Norway.  He became known as the "Father of Modern Skiing".  I learned a lot about Sondre from his granddaughter Dorthy Lyon.

Anne Haugen Wagn of Telemark County, Norway and her friend Erik came to Atlanta to visit Dianne and I in the year 2003.  Anne is on the Board of Telemark Historielag (Telemark History Club).  She has written several history books.  Together, we interviewed Dorthy Lyon about her grandfather.

I snapped a picture of Dorothy at her Atlanta home.

Twice Dorthy met the King and Queen of Norway.  Twice when the Olympic Games came to Norway the Royalty came out to a small farm in Telemark, at Morgedal, to light the Olympic flame.  They came to the farm of her grandfather Sondre Norheim to light the flame in his honor.   

This was the home of Sondre Norheim in Telemark.

and this is the National Ski Museum that stands nearby.  The statue is of Sondre Norheim.

Although Sondre was the best skier of his time, he was very poor so emigrated to the United States.  The link below tells the tale.

The Sondre Norheim Story

To wrap up this story, I quote the phrase used by many immigrants from the mountains of Norway:

"Fjellene Minnes"  translates to, 

"The Mountains Remember".