Last of the First Skiers

Presented by Mark Jenkins

Previewed By: Lindley Rust

For most of us living in Jackson, WY skiing is a sport, not a means of hunting and gathering for our livelihood. For the tribal people deep in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia it’s a different story. While guns are illegal for hunting, lassoing isn’t. As a means of hunting elk these people, the Kazakh and Tuvan tribesmen of the region, build their wide, long, curve-tipped skis from red spruce, and staple horsehair to the bottom for good traction and skiing. They are practically able to skin straight up any mountain, and that is how they hunt and lasso the elk… from their skis! This method of hunting has been in practice, and has been unaltered for at least 5,000 years. The local petroglyphs dating from 8,000 B.C. provides us with the proof.

Mark Jenkins, writer for National Geographic, lived and hunted with these tribes. His aim is to “explore the last enclave of prehistoric skiing, its links to the modern global ski culture, and the profound adaptability of humankind in an increasingly globalized world.” He has written and won numerous awards for his stories around the globe. Come enjoy his visual presentation of the people of the Altai tribes people at The Center for the Arts on Thursday, January 23rd at 6pm.