No one had a greater impact on the sport of skiing than Sondre Norheim. He not only developed the slalom, but introduced the two most important turns in skiing -- the Telemark and Christiana. He also made equipment innovations that had a tremendous impact on competitive skiing. He devised a foot binding that allowed sharp turning, and perfected a ski shape that went on to become the model for modern Alpine skis.

After becoming a Norwegian hero for winning many skiing competitions, Norheim immigrated to the United States and settled on a farm near the small town of Denbigh, midway between Rugby and Minot.

Norheim was born June 10, 1825, on the Overbo farm near the town of Morgedal in south-central Norway. Morgedal is between Oslo and Stavanger in the county of Telemark.

His parents were Ingerid and Auver Sigridson. As was the Norwegian tradition, he took on his father's first name for a surname and therefore was born Sondre Auverson. His father was a tenant farmer and had another son, Elvind, who was 2 years older than Sondre. Sondre's mother died when he was 2. Auver then married a woman named Anne, who outwardly favored Elvind over Sondre. Therefore, Sondre spent as much time as possible outside, gliding down the hills on his homemade skis. Sondre Norheim had an active and creative mind, a playful nature, and was exceptionally daring. He would try things that seemed foolhardy to most everyone else. However, he managed to succeed in almost all of his reckless endeavors. One example was skiing off of the rooftop of his father's cottage.

As Norheim grew older, he became quite a ladies' man. He was small of stature, but made up for that with an outgoing personality and a love for having fun. But his main interest remained skiing. Norheim settled down and was married on Jan. 15, 1854, to Rannei Amundsdotter. Later that year, Rannei gave birth to the first of seven children. One died as an infant and a second died at the age of 12. To support his family, Norheim farmed, supplementing his income with carpentry. His specialty was making weaving shuttles, but he also created furniture, tools, musical instruments and, of course, skis. Norheim also worked as a blacksmith, lumberjack, and even helped neighbors by serving as an itinerant physician treating minor ailments.

Trying to make ends meet, Norheim and his family moved from farm to farm in the region around Morgedal. They finally settled on the Norheim farm and he adopted that name for himself and his family. This is when Norheim looked at skiing as something more than just a passion. He analyzed it with a scientific mind.

Skis had been around for 4,000 years, but up to then they were primarily a means for getting around in the winter. The first type of skiing competition took place in Norway in 1767. This was a race, but skiing was not yet an organized sport. Largely because of Norheim, all of that would change.

First, something needed to be done with the bindings. The toe bindings were fine when skiing in a straight line, but the loose fittings made it difficult to maneuver. Some skis used a block of wood to help stabilize the heel, but it wasn't attached to the toe binding.

Norheim created a binding for the heels that was attached to the toe binding, which helped the skis attach more securely to the foot.

Next, Norheim worked on perfecting skis. He reasoned that skiers could turn more easily if skis had curved sides.

Some craftsmen had already experimented with curving on the skis, but when Norheim combined his refined curving with his bindings he now had skis that could be maneuvered and would remain firmly attached to the feet when skiers turned.

Norheim named the skiing techniques he developed. A high-speed turn with parallel skis, done in a crouching position by swinging the body, was named the Christiana. Christiana was the name of Oslo at that time. The technique used to weave between obstacles by pulling the tips of the skis inward and shifting the weight forward was called the Telemark. With these maneuvers, skiers could manipulate themselves between obstacles. Consequently, Norheim perfected the skiing competition called the slalom.

Regional skiing competitions were held regularly near Christiana (Oslo), but in 1868 the first national skiing competition was held there. Norheim became a folk hero by not only skiing more than 100 miles to participate in the competition, but also by winning the event that was comprised of ski jumping, cross-country and the slalom. He did all of this despite being 42 years old and competing against some who were 20 years younger.

The money Norheim earned from skiing competitions helped, but poverty still remained a way of life. His daughter, Haege, and his second-oldest son, Olav, had immigrated to the United States, and the letters they wrote home told of better conditions in this country. On May 30, 1884, Norheim, Rannei, and three of their children left Norway to begin a new life in America. They spent a short time in Minnesota, and in 1885 settled on the farm near Denbigh. The land was rolling, but did not contain any of the mountains Norheim was use to in Norway. He was now 60 years old and devoted most of his time to farming. Many of his new neighbors were not aware he was a legend in his home country.

Life was not much better in North Dakota. Crops were poor and Norheim struggled to make ends meet. He became involved in the community, and religion became a more important aspect in his life.  He was also happy to help teach skiing to the neighbors' children. On March 9, 1897, Norheim died and was buried in an unmarked grave near Denbigh. Rannei moved to Oregon, where she later died.When officials in Morgedal were informed about Norheim's death, a skiing competition was held in his honor.

By this time, skiing was the national sport of Norway, primarily because of Norheim. Norway hosted its first Winter Olympics in 1928, and until 1956 dominated the competition in every Winter Olympics except one.

In 1965, one of Norheim's great-granddaughters, Dorothy Lyon Norheim, identified his gravesite after reading about her famous ancestor. A marker was placed at the grave that states:

In memory of Sondre Norheim, pioneer and champion of modern skiing. He developed slalom and introduced the Telemark and Christiana Turns.

In 1987, a statue of Norheim, built by Knut and Tove Skinnarland, was unveiled in Minot. Norheim was also honored at opening ceremonies for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

Perhaps one of the most fitting honors occurred in 1986 at the World Skiing Championship in Holmenkollen, Norway. In that competition, a young skier by the name of Pam Norheim competed in the biathalon. She is a great-granddaughter of Sondre Norheim, the father of modern skiing.

"Did You Know That" is a Sunday column that focuses on interesting people, places and events that had an impact on North Dakota, or even the country. It is written by Curt Eriksmoen and edited by Jan Eriksmoen of Fargo.