Earliest ski artifact on record

In China's Xinjiang region, cave paintings dating to more than 10,000 years ago provide the earliest depiction of snow skiing yet identified. Today, Chinese President Xi Jinpiang has initiated a campaign to popularize the sport in advance of the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing. Yet as ski-tour companies expand into the Altai region where the ancient cave paintings are located, the local population and others are concerned the preservation of their cultural heritage is being threatened.

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China’s Stone Age Skiers and History’s Harsh Lessons

By Kade Krichko

The New York Times

April 19, 2017