Skiing was around long before marshmallow roasts or wraparound sunglasses - skis that are over 4,000 years old have been found in the bogs of Sweden and Finland and there is a Norwegian rock carving dating from 2,000 BC showing be-skied elk hunters.

Later, skiing was used in warfare and was often a catalyst for major events. For example, in 1521, the Danes invaded Sweden, massacring all the nobles but one. Two desperate peasants skied off to find the exiled Gustav Vasa, who returned to drive the Danes out and to set up the kingdom that still survives today. The Swedes stroked their chins and noted how handy those skis had been and resolved to use them in all their wars. However, skiing remained a mainly utilitarian activity until the 19th century.

By 1840, local cross-country ski races were being held by military personnel and soon civilians were allowed to join in. Thus skiing grew in popularity as a sport in its own right and champions emerged. One of the most important was Sondre Norheim, from the Telemark region, who broke all the cross-country and jumping records at a tournament in Christiana, which later became Oslo. He fiddled around with the skis - adding an ankle strap, changing their shape - which gave the skier greater control and manoeuvrability. The words 'Christiana' and 'Telemark' were given to the new ski technique he pioneered, even though 'Sondre' and 'Nordheim' probably would have been better.

So if you are intrigued by the thought of swooshing through the snow, but don't fancy spending the first week of your holiday flat on your back surrounded by laughing children, then perhaps you should consider taking some classes. Unfortunately, we don't have the weather conditions to allow you to slalom in, say, the Wicklow Mountains but we do have a number of artificial slopes. These types of slopes tend be a bit slower than snow and there is not as much grip - however, learning the basics will help prepare you for a skiing trip abroad.

Initial lessons will consist of learning to walk with your skis on, and how to 'snow plough' glide, turn and stop - these are the basic moves that you need start skiing in earnest. Once you have mastered these, then your goal is to learn parallel skiing. This is where you ski with both skis together and master the ability to turn without lifting a ski. It may sound simple, but a number of lessons will be needed before you will have it down.

So if you think that you would look good in a puffy jacket and fluorescent sun block, then why not consider some skiing lessons? Get into pole position with the links that follow…