Skiing Snowmen Figurines

These Snowmen Figurines are about 5 � inches tall and are standing on a cloth snowflake as a base. This guy is all set to spend a day on the slopes; he is wearing his red ski cap, blue vest, brown scarf and has his red mittens in tow. He is made of a plush white cloth material. In his left arm is a pair of wooden ski�s held together by a piece of red string. Looking at a few white patches on his outfit makes you think he has already taken a few tumbles on the slopes today. From the red ski cap is a gold lame cord to allow you to hang him anywhere or just let him stand with his snow-friends. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.

What is Skiing?
Skiing is the act of gliding over snow on long, narrow runners called skis. Many skiers enjoy the thrill of speeding down mountain slopes. Others like the challenge of traveling long distances across flat or slightly hilly terrain. Skiing is an extremely popular form of entertainment. It is also a major competitive sport. There are different types of skiing, two of which are Alpine and Nordic skiing. Closely related to skiing is a relatively new activity called snowboarding. The two most popular and basic forms of skiing are Alpine skiing and cross country skiing which is a form of Nordic skiing. Select this link to view our Christmas Ornaments.

Alpine skiing
This refers to skiing downhill. It is popular as a form of recreation and as a competitive sport. The term Alpine comes from Alps, the name of the mountain system in Europe where downhill skiing originated. Alpine skiing has three basic maneuvers, schussing, traversing and turning. Skiers use ski poles to help them keep their balance while making these maneuvers. The poles also aid skiers in walking and climbing. Select this link to view our Christmas Gifts.

Schussing is skiing straight down a slope without turning or stopping. It is the fastest form of skiing because skiers follow the fall line or the most direct route to the bottom of the slope.

Traversing is skiing at an angle to the fall line. Skiers use this maneuver to control their speed. They edge their skis while traversing to avoid slipping downhill sideways. Edging is done by tilting the skis at an angle to the slope so their metal edges bite into the snow.

Turning is the most difficult part of downhill skiing. Turning enables skiers to change directions, control their speed and avoid obstacles. The most elementary turn is the wedge or snowplow, in which the skis are placed in a V position with tips nearly touching and edged slightly inward. The wedge turn is also used to stop. A more complex turn is the stem. In this turn the skis are first placed in a modified V position and are brought to a parallel position later in the turn. The carved parallel is the most advanced and difficult turn. In the carved parallel turn the skier quickly and smoothly turns both skis in the same direction at virtually the same moment. To halt their downhill progress, skiers make a sharp turn perpendicular to the hill and let the edges of the skis chatter across the snow. This maneuver is called a hockey stop or skate stop because it is similar to the way ice skaters stop. Select this link to view our Snowman Christmas Figurine.

Nordic Skiingconsists of cross country skiing and ski jumping. The term Nordic refers to northern Europe, especially Norway Sweden And Finland, where cross country skiing developed as a practical means of travel. Select this link to view our Snowman Ornaments.

The Rising and Setting of Stars.
When viewed from Earth�s Northern Hemisphere, stars rotate counterclockwise around a point called the celestial north pole. Viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, stars rotate clockwise about the celestial South Pole. During the day, the sun moves across the sky in the same direction and at the same rate as the stars. These movements do not result from any actual revolution of the sun and stars. They occur because of the west to east rotation of Earth about its own axis. To an observer standing on the ground, Earth seems motionless, while the sun and stars seem to move in circles, it is actually the Earth that is moving. Select this link to view our Snowman Gifts.