Morgedal is a small community in
Telemark, Norway.
It goes by the nick name "the cradle
of skiing".
In Norway the use of skis
early became a necessity due to the
rough geography and harsh
winters. A rock engraving
from Nordland, "Rødøy-mannen"
(the "Red Island Man"),
seems to suggest that Norwegians
were skiing as long back as 4,000 years
ago. In Norse mythology the
songs tell about skiing and
hunting.
Sondre Norheim from
Morgedal revolutionized both the
skis and the interests therein
during the years 1870 to 1880.
He also invented the bindings
that hold the feet onto the skis,
making it possible to jump and
turn without dropping the skis.
He is also the mind behind the
"concave" shape (i.e. a bit
narrower near the center)
of modern skis.
Therefore, it came quite natural to
choose Morgedal as the
starting point of the Olymipic flame
when the Winter Olympics were
held in Lillehammer in 1994.