The 1880s saw a shift from Nordic skiing (cross-country skiing), to Alpine skiing (downhill skiing), because the adrenaline rush of gliding down a mountainside had more mass appeal than skiing across level terrain.

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Norway took nine of its gold medals in cross-country skiing, the biathalon and alpine skiing.

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It was her country's first medal in Alpine events since Olga Charvatova was third in downhill for the former Czechoslovakia in 1984.

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Participants are given snowshoes, beacons and taught alpine survival skills, before trekking deep into avalanche country.

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In winter, snowshoeing and cross country skiing are just as accessible, while the Eldora alpine ski resort is 90 minutes away.

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Within 10 minutes of leaving the golden-hued lakeside wine country and joining the road to Switzerland, the climate and the scenery become distinctively Alpine.

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