Skiing
Today it wouldn't be correct to call skiing one sport. Skiing is a group of sports that have evolved from different sporting traditions and that are all very popular today. As we know, skiing is a winter sport using skis as a means of sliding on the snowy surface. Feet of a skier are attached to the skis by means of special boots that are connected to them by bindings (both on the toes and on the heels). Although skiing (especially downhill skiing) is in many ways like snowboarding, the origins of these two sports are completely different. Snowboarding evolved from surfing and skateboarding, whereas skiing is a traditional sport that existed hundreds of years ago - the Nordic nations used skis to be able to walk on the surface of soft snow without wasting much effort sinking into eat with each step. Nordic skiing is by the way one of the subcategories of skiing in general. Nordic skiing includes activities that are similar to the skiing that was done in Scandinavia. The distinctive feature of this group of sports is that the bindings attach only at the toes of the skier's boots, and not at the heels. Alpine skiing is another group of skiing disciplines in which, unlike in Nordic skiing, skis are attached to the boots by bindings both at the heels and at the toes. This is connected to the level of danger involved - Alpine skiing usually implies descending snowy slopes, that's why losing one or both ski during the descent is not only unpleasant and undesirable but it is also dangerous for your life.