Books books books!

[Johnny]

I *love* ski books... I'm always looking for some good pre-bedtime literature. Here's a few classics I already have... Any suggestions for my next read? I'm not really into kids apres-ski beer-drinking tales or extreme skiing crap. I'm more into hermits, huts, philosophy, mountains and wilderness kind of stuff... : )

Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis, Warren Miller
Nobody Owes You Tomorrow, Todd Stuart
Cross-Country Downhill, Steve Barnett
Free-Heel Skiing, Paul Parker
Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast, David Goodman
Backcountry Skiing, Martin Volker
Deep Powder Snow, Dolores Lachapelle
Allen & Mike's Really Cool Telemark Tips

[bogon]

I suggest You to scan them and anonymously share (pdf) on thepiratebay. AFAIK majority of this list isn't available in digital form. I refuse to pay for paper books from eco PoV. Moreover, they're heavy, while my ebook reader can carry a small library, can search, has backlight and is light. Even with small solar battery, which in reality is not necessary to carry along cause of e-ink.

[xkyzero]

If you can find a copy:

The avalanche enigma
by Colin Fraser


Well worth the read just for his history of avalanches and their place in mountain culture. He is a great story teller.

[kesroberts]

I like Allen & Mike's backcountry ski book. I'm not much of a backcountry skier, but enjoy this one.

Thanks for the list - I picked up a couple that I didn't know about.

[Johnny]

Hey thanks!

I just got my hands on this one yesterday:
(Yes, sometimes I do judge a book by it's cover.. and title... : )

[anrothar]

Trails That Never End by Tim Kelley

Trip reports from a bunch of long distance, lightweight Alaskan ski trips, mostly on snowmobile and dog mushing trails. Including the 1000 mile Iditarod Trail(he and Bob Baker still hold the ski record set during the trip described in the book), Kobuk 440 mile, and Yukon Quest Trail. Really great book if you like reading about camping and backpacking, via xc skis.

http://crust.outlookalaska.com/TrailsThatNeverEnd/

[Johnny]

Just a few words to say that I just finished that small Cross-Country ski, cook, look and pleasure book I mentioned before... I can't help telling you how great it is. Without a doubt the best (and funniest!) ski book I ever read...

It will definitely make you wanna move to Vermont or Montana, build an igloo over there, make love in the snow, start smoking pot again and ski your life away...

It's funny, the book sells for like 100-200$ on Amazon... I paid mine 2$.

[Raventele]

I *love* ski books... I'm always looking for some good pre-bedtime literature. Here's a few classics I already have... Any suggestions for my next read? I'm not really into kids apres-ski beer-drinking tales or extreme skiing crap. I'm more into hermits, huts, philosophy, mountains and wilderness kind of stuff... : )

Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis, Warren Miller
Nobody Owes You Tomorrow, Todd Stuart
Cross-Country Downhill, Steve Barnett
Free-Heel Skiing, Paul Parker
Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast, David Goodman
Backcountry Skiing, Martin Volker
Deep Powder Snow, Dolores Lachapelle
Allen & Mike's Really Cool Telemark Tips

Have Allen and Mikes, Parker's and XCD..Love them all though
I think there's about as much confusing and even inaccurate ( call
me a lite-skiing heretic if you like) in XCD as there is beneficial..

[Johnny]

Heretics are cool. I am a ski and music and girls and 'life-in-general' heretic myself. People (and their ideas) are stupid most the time. That's for sure.

But to me, XCD is very simple: it's free. You're free to do whatever you want as long as you stay in the woods. It only implies love, respect and nature. It doesn't matter what kind of skis or bindings or what brand of gloves you wear, whether you have a beard or not, whether you double-plant or not... But there's got to be some direct spiritual connection with the trees and the snow and nature that surrounds you.

You just go downhill as fast as you can, linking as many turns you can without stopping to meditate about your own shitty life? You talk about your job when you climb? You drink tap water from your Black Diamond bottle instead of
kneeling down the brooks? Then that's not XCD.

In my opinion, there's only 3 major rules to respect in order to be true to the real XCD dogma:
1- Nothing fatter than 109mm (110 is strictly forbidden. One-o-nine, not 110)
2- Absolutely no plastics.
3- Avoid skins if possible (Some may allow kickers)

[youtube][/youtube]

[Raventele]

Well, I think there's true BC, slogging-up-the-hill Alpine, and then there's true XCD..
and then there's some odd blend of thongs on Glittertinds
dashing across 5 degree slope changes..But under any category and
under appropriate circumstances, Anything goes!!
I am such a heretic as to say T4's and Excursions are just fine..even if
a 2-buckle leather is sacred!