I'm not sure why the narrow strips of materials are long but they're worn under the foot to glide over snow.
They are long and narrow strips that allow for gliding over snow
I tried to learn snow skiing.  I just never did very well. So I don't like it I see, but skiing has around 5000 years of history. That is a long time.  Was it invented in the Nordic countries? Modern skiing is traced back to Scandinavia.  However, there is evidence it was practiced in China many years before that China-that is interesting.  WHy are modern skis so long?
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow.