Infographic: The Surprising History Of The World's First Skis

While the Mesopotamians chipped away at the first wheel, hunters up north had already figured out a better way to get from A to B.

It's a -30 degree morning in 8000 B.C., deep in the Altay Mountains that span what are now Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. A hunter spots a few elk hundreds of feet below, past snow-covered boulders, and a glade of trees. Before an unlucky breeze catches his scent and warns the animals of his presence, he's off, carving through the snow with the help of his taiyak staff, feet bound to two spruce planks, the bottoms of which are lined with horsehide.

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