Skis are one of humankind’s earliest and most successful technologies. Yet the ski’s origin is still being debated – the where, the when, even the possibility of multiple points of origin. Leave the debating behind and hit the slopes, skiing uphill, downhill and across the hill on a pair of skis (and single pole) built in the Altai ski tradition, a design that dates back thousands of years. Bring your own free heel touring skis and compare skiing with modern and traditional ski designs. After an overview on the use and history of skis, the class heads out to the snowy slopes on Lutsen Mountains to experiment with the traditional uses of wooden skis (including strapping on skins to climb hills) while exploring the differences and similarities between traditional skiing techniques and modern free heel techniques.