Skiing was originally a form of transportation in Europe before it became a sport. The oldest documented evidence of skiing is found in the region of Norway and Sweden from primitive carvings dating back to 5000 B.C. Until the 1800’s skiing was primarily used only for transport, it was after the turn of the 18th century that it became a recreational sport. Commercially the popularity of skiing holidays took off in the 19th century which increased substantially during the mid-1900s until today.