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Wayne Sheldrake’s new memoir is less a story about his skiing exploits than a soulful and humorous adventure about discovering what is most important in our lives and about life itself. In Instant Karma: The Heart and Soul of a Ski Bum, Sheldrake draws upon his life lessons and journeys which are tied to the mountains, landscape, and people he treasures most. This extremely well written title has passages that read like poetry while conveying both a gripping life story and its resulting soulful philosophy.

The narration begins with a history of key moments in Sheldrake’s early life and his immersion into the ski bum lifestyle. This introduction, interspersed with key skiing recollections generally involving bone breaking accidents (Sheldrake manages to break his legs three times and his pelvis once), serves as the main memoir aspect of the book as we learn about the author’s situational hardships including excessive family dysfunction. Most notable amongst Sheldrake’s hardships is a defective heart valve that sidelines him from his most treasured passion of skiing. The heart valve issue puts him in a heart surgery ward alongside people twice his age.
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Falling Season is the term Aspen’s Mountain Rescue team uses to denote the time of year when mountain activity and associated injuries increase substantially. Numerous climbers and hikers, both prepared and unprepared alike, begin venturing into the mountains during late Spring. When accidents occur and rescues are needed, volunteer driven teams such as Aspen’s Mountain Rescue put themselves in harms way to save lives.

As a member of Aspen’s Mountain Rescue team, Hal Clifford has an insider’s view of Aspen Mountain Rescue specifically and Search and Rescue in general. Clifford acknowledges his biases by stating up front that he is a member of the Mountain Rescue team first and an author second. The author manages that balance well by utilizing quotes from everyone involved and painting a balanced story.

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Powder Burn by Daniel Glick recounts the story of an arson at the Vail Ski Resort of Colorado and its impact, fallout, and effects on the community. The arson occurred in 1998 on the eve of a disputed expansion into terrain possibly containing a nearly endangered species of lynx. Glick writes in a “whodunit” style but the title takes off as the story sidetracks into unexpected directions. Vail Associates pissed off the entire community of residents dependent on the mountain for their livelihoods. Meanwhile, the culture of multi-millionaire second and third home jet setters sparks interesting research into the causes, effects, and ramifications of an über rich upper class culture taking over a working class ski bum town.

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John Fry’s numerous years in the ski industry (specifically publications and magazines) has provided a wealth of knowledge about the sport and recreational activity of skiing. What was to become The Story of Modern Skiing was originally pitched to publishers by Fry as a memoir of his experiences in the ski industry. University Press of New England had a different idea and directed Fry to draw on his vast experiences to write a comprehensive history of modern skiing from the North American perspective.

The book is well arranged and somewhat linear despite the historical range of some topics which suggests editorial genius to keep the narrative linear. A brief introduction on how skiing made its way to North America begins the book; however, most of the history details skiing from the beginning of lift serviced skiing via rope tows onward. All aspects of the sport are detailed from equipment, technique, and teaching through competition, resort development, alternative and so called extreme pursuits, and the industry and business of the sport. The major personalities to effect the sport are sprinkled throughout the book where appropriate with colorful commentary.

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While reading a book is no substitute for avalanche courses with certified professionals, the foundation of knowledge about the science of snow provided in Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain is invaluable. Tremper’s excellent guide about how and why snow moves provides a strong foundation for backcountry adventurers that often find themselves in avalanche terrain. However, the book is no substitute for field experience, courses with professionals, practice, and continued studies. The ultimate rule of avalanche terrain is that if you have to use rescue devices, you have already failed regardless of the search and rescue out come. Knowing how to assess conditions and the human element is the best method of preventing avalanche accidents short of avoiding the terrain completely.

While this is not your typical book on Avalanche safety, the stories of Jill Fredston may just be exactly what over ambitious snow sport adventurers need to read to get scared straight. Snowstruck details Jill Fredston’s experiences as a foremost authority on avalanches in Alaska. Fredston’s knowledge, experience, and expertise is in heavy demand during the North American winter which often involves death and tragedy. After reading Snowstruck, I got the feeling that is the type of Job Security most people would not want.

Jill Fredston and her husband Doug Fesler are drawn to the magical white death both by its beauty and the tragic consequences of others’ bad decisions. The book details the lives of Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler including how they met and formed an inseparable partnership around the most tragic of winter accidents that claim dozens of lives every year. Several aspects of how avalanches impact outdoor enthusiasts and communities are detailed including skiers, hikers, road slides, housing destruction, community development, snow mobilers, and snow boarders. An excellent read that will give any one entering into avalanche terrain a second thought knowing the potential devastation and human tragedy of bad decision making.

Nicolas Howe’s eminently readable Not Without Peril does not strictly deal with skiing, but is packed full of history about Mount Washington. Much of that history is vital to mountaineers and backcountry skiers that visit the rock pile for earning turns. This richly researched book details several cases of outdoor recreationalists that decided to undertake an outing on Mount Washington that turned tragic and often fatal. Each case is meticulously reconstructed from start to finish by Nicholas Howe who uses a wealth of research to walk the reader through the most likely course of events based on recorded evidence and known details.

Recreational skiing only entered the Mount Washington scene during the past one hundred years with widespread use of the ravine only developing in the later third of the time frame covered by Not Without Peril. Despite only a few brief accounts of skier mishaps, backcountry skiers will gain invaluable wisdom about not challenging Mount Washington when the weather and/or snow conditions are not favorable. Turning back should always be the first option considered when plans go bad.

While not specifically about skiing history, Forest and Crag contains a wealth of information about the people and history that formed the basis of recreational skiing in the mountains of the Northeast. This book is especially interesting for backcountry skiers that spend more time hiking than skiing. The Waterman’s are highly regarded as the foremost experts on the history of hiking and mountaineering in the Northeast. Both authors draw heavily on extensive and well documented research. First ascents and first summits are detailed in addition to the development of the various trail systems of the Northeast. People and places come alive in vivid detail due the high quality of the authors’ prose. Knowing the history of the mountains only increases one’s pleasure while recreating amongst them. Highly recommended.

Hal Clifford takes aim at corporate ski resorts and their effect on the ski industry and the environment in his hard hitting title. Clifford’s books should be read in conjunction with other titles detailing the complexity of corporations and short term interest on share holder earnings instead of long term stability, profitability, environmental soundness, and community involvement. Such titles I would recommend include The Corporation, Corporation Nation, and When Corporations Rule the World which all detail the history, issues, and problems surrounding how the United States government and judicial systems have chosen to build its economic system based on the publicly owned and traded corporate institution. Downhill Slide looks most closely at the homogenization of large scale resort companies that hurt local towns and economies while attempting to side step and challenge environmental standards. Ski Corporations focus mainly on short term profitability and stock holder satisfaction which promotes an unhealthy corporate climate less likely to care about the local towns, environment, and long term sustainability. If you appreciate the classic family own skier experience and are concerned about large mega ski resort companies and their effects on the ski industry, local ski towns, and the environment, this book is a must read.

David Goodman’s pair of Backcountry Skiing Adventures books are the essential backcountry guides for skiing in New England and New York. However, for backcountry skiing off the beaten path in the White Mountains, the AMC White Mountain Guide should not be over looked and the topo maps are indispensable. I recommend purchasing the weather proof Tyvek version of the AMC White Mountain Maps either in addition to or instead of the guide depending upon your need for information and desire to have quality maps survive in the field. There are plenty of lesser known backcountry destinations in the Whites and many require travel in the White Mountain trail network to access. The topographic maps alone should provide many sleepless nights of route planning and imagining.

In this short and concise self published effort through Authorhouse, former pro-bumper Dan DiPiro describes in pictures and words proper mogul technique for all skiers. Although the book is written towards a zipper line mentality, the basics and foundations of proper bump technique are the same whether you hammer the zipper line, enjoy naturally formed bumps, or have only dabbled into the bumps occasionally on the side of groomed trails. DiPiro is highly critical of the PSIA and any other person or organization that advocates applying traditional “race technique” to bump skiing. DiPiro includes one or two cheap zingers against racing in general. However, DiPiro mostly stays on topic in delivering the proper bump techniques needed to successfully navigate any bump line with style and ease. Every skier that desires to be an “All Mountain Skier” needs to have a variety of techniques available in their skill set for various conditions and terrain challenges that the mountains present. DiPiro’s excellent book provides a great foundation for unlearning bad habits and understanding the correct techniques unique to mogul skiing that every skier should develop.

Recently revised and split into two volumes, David Goodman’s Backcountry Skiing Adventures are the indispensable guides to backcountry skiing and riding in New England. The two books remain essential guides for numerous classic backcountry ski tours and a solid introduction for any aspiring backcountry skier or rider. Once the decision has been made to earn turns, the snowy hills become an boundless and limitless playground in which ascents and descents are only limited by imagination and determination. The gates to adventure and powder bliss are thrown wide open and you no longer allow ski areas to dictate the length of your season. The solid foundation that David Goodman provides offers everything from a gentle introduction on flatter locales to above tree line madness accessed by nearly 10 mile approaches. An essential pair of guides for any backcountry skier, Backcountry Skiing Adventures comes in two volumes: Vermont & New York and Maine & New Hampshire. Happy turn earning!