We know that the wait for winter is long and hard. To help you get through the dog days of summer, we’ve put together a list of our favorite ski-centric readers. no book reports are required.
1. superior love: skiing the seven summits by kit deslauriers
You are reading: Best books about skiing
With his ski descent from Mount Everest on October 18, 2006, Kit Deslauriers became the first person in the world to ski from the top of all seven summits. his book, published in 2015, recounts the journey. one reader wrote: “I cried at the end with exhaustion and relief… felt like I had been up and down those mountains with her.” Deslauriers has also bagged the first ski descents of some of the highest peaks in Alaska, New Zealand, the Alps, and Siberia, is raising two daughters with her husband, Rob, and made the first solo female climb and ski of a 13,775-foot Grand Teton in 2013. Oh, and she also claims two Women’s Freeski World Champion titles. yeah, i’ll take whatever she’s taking.
2. white planet: a mad dash through modern global ski culture by leslie anthony
Written by Les Anthony, Senior Powder Correspondent and former Editorial Director, White Planet is a humorous and insightful look at the evolution of modern ski culture around the world. The Denver Post called Anthony “the modern lachapelle pain, spreading the often-confusing history of skiing with wit, intellect and passion.”
3. night driving: the invention of the wheel and other blues by dick dorworth
the road ski trip. have you ever had one? of course you have. but probably not like that. Night Driving, by Dick Dorworth, was originally published in its entirety in the mid-1970s by cult ragtag The Mountain Gazette, and was republished in book form in 2007. (and Sleep Deprived) Across the Country Between ski towns, and down to South America to climb Fitz Roy. it’s irreverent, provocative and beautiful, and will make you want to drop everything, grab your skis and hit the road. Dorworth’s Bonus Book: The Straight Course, Stories of Speed Skiing in the 1960s. In 1963, Dorworth set the skiing speed record by going 106 mph on a course in Portillo, Chile. he wore leather boots. so there it is.
4. freedom found: the story of my life by warren miller and andy bigford
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Warren Miller’s autobiography, released in the fall of 2016, follows the late filmmaker’s life from his early years growing up during the Great Depression to family, relationships, and days spent in the mountains, which he ultimately he influenced the creation of more than 750 films, several books, and hundreds of published nonfiction stories. Miller passed away earlier this year at 93, which makes this a timely read. read our full review here.
5. Tracking Wild Coomba: The Life of Legendary Skier Doug Coombs by Robert Cocuzzo
as managing editor matt hansen wrote, there is much that readers will take away after finishing this thoroughly researched biography by robert cocuzzo. “Whether it’s Coombs’s early years as an intrepid budding skier who broke his neck jumping too high in the Waterville Valley, his wayward days with the Jackson Hole Air Force, his unique and casual approach to guiding clients through the terrain most twisted of their lives, to being a husband and a father, and finally, to his fateful accident in La Grave, France, on April 3, 2006, which took his life, there is much to consider.” the title is now available via audiobook. read our full review here.
6. ski god by peter kray
A coming-of-age novel set in Jackson during the golden age of skiing in the 1970s, Ski God is a celebration of skiing then and now, and a fitting tribute to the joy this sucker brings us. sport. read our interview with kray here.
7. deep: the history of skiing and the future of snow by porter fox
What began as a featured article in the September 2013 issue of Dust became one of the most prolific books on this list. Former United States Vice President Al Gore called Deep “the must-read story of how global warming is transforming the future of snow and the future of skiing. a powerful call to action for anyone who cares about the future of our planet.” the video below provides an insight into the origins of the book.
See Also: 20 Must-Read Books with Black Main Characters – Cherish365
8. porter fox northland
Speaking of Porter Fox, the long-time powder writer and editor has just released a new book documenting the history and issues surrounding the US border. uu. and Canada, or as he calls it, the “forgotten frontier.” Over the course of three years, Fox rowed, walked, rode boxcars, and drove across the northern fringes of the United States. northland follows his 4000 mile adventure and reveals the untold stories of the edge.
9. will you believe in me a story about skiing and friendship by matt sterbenz and ingrid ochoa
Written for a younger reader, this is a true story of 4frnt founder Matt Sterbenz and his friendship with Olympic skier David Wise. the story takes young skiers into their experience as they build a ski together and begin a journey that teaches them the power of confidence. Read our full review, by Camryn Reddick, age 9, here.
10. deep powder snow: forty years of ecstatic skiing, avalanches and wisdom of the earth by Dolores Lachapelle
no list of great writing on skiing would be complete with the works of the queen mother of skiing, Dolores LaChapelle, whose autobiographical account of her life in the mountains of Utah, Colorado, and Switzerland beginning in the 1940s, is filled absolute gold like this:
“There is a ‘nothing’ experience when skiing in powder. but the idea of nothingness in our culture is terrifying, and we have no words for it. however, in Chinese Taosit thought, it is called “the fullness of the void” from which all things come. my experiences with powder snow gave me the first glimpses of the future possibilities of the mind.”
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