These northern people were fleet of foot, though apparently English Ski Club founder E.C. Richardson hadn’t read Mela when he tells us in The Ski-Runner, 1909:
‘…the earliest mention of ski-ing of which we have at present any record occurs in Procopius (526-559 CE) who mentions a race of Skridfinnar – that is, gliding Finns – apparently in contrast to other Finns who did not glide.’ 4