Skaði is the Norse goddess associated with skiing and winter.
Skaði is described as a jötunn and goddess connected with skiing, winter, mountains, bowhunting, and hunting. In the Prose Edda, she lives at Þrymheimr, her father Þjazi’s mountain home, and is given the byname Öndurdís, meaning “ski lady,” or a related title meaning “ski goddess.”
Her story begins after the Æsir kill Þjazi. Skaði goes to Asgard armed for revenge and demands compensation. The gods let her choose a husband by looking only at the candidates’ feet. She hopes to select Baldr but chooses Njörðr, the sea god, whose feet she mistakes for Baldr’s. Their marriage fails because she prefers the mountains while Njörðr prefers the coast.
Skaði is sometimes confused with Ullr, another Norse figure associated with skiing and archery. She is also distinct from Hel, the ruler of the realm of the dead, and Rán, the sea goddess.