Editor’s Note: This is one of the stories featured in the winter edition of Flathead Living magazine. Pick up a free copy on newsstands throughout the valley.
For millennia, humans have used tools for outdoor adventure. Primitive carvings found in Norway and Sweden depict skiers with a single pole as early as 5000 B.C. Beginning in the mid-1800s, outdoor activities, such as mountaineering, climbing, skiing and snowshoeing transitioned from survival pursuits (hunting, nomadic travel, surveying) to sport and recreation.
Over the years, we have continued to use some of the same basic tools as they have improved over time. Until recently, most of this equipment was fabricated from natural fibers. Garments and footwear were made from silk, wool, waxed canvas and leather. Skis, poles and axes were constructed from wood, iron and sinew. Climbing protection consisted of soft iron pitons and hemp ropes.