In an early mention of Alpine skiing and the use of the “stick” therein, Richardson quotes German author Valvasor describing the use of the stick in controlling the skiing descent in 1689:
‘…peasants of Krain [Carniola, Slovenia]…take two wooden boards…about five feet long. In front these boards are bent and turned up, and in the middle there is fixed a leather strap into which the feet are placed… in sliding downhill the runner leant well back onto his stick…against which the runner supports himself with such power and strength…[as] if he had no limbs to his body or no joints whatsoever.’ 10