In Search Of Powder

Download or read book In Search of Powder written by Jeremy Evans and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a recent college graduate and fledging newspaper reporter in the Lake Tahoe area, Jeremy Evans became immersed in ski bum culture?a carefree lifestyle whose mantra was simply: ?Ski as much as possible.? His snowboarding suffered when he left for a job in the Portland area; and when, at twenty-six, he suffered a stroke, he reexamined his priorities, quit his job, moved back to Tahoe, and threw himself into snowboarding. But while he had been away, the culture had changed. This book is Evans?s paean to the disappearing culture of the ski bum. A fascinating look at a world far removed from the larger culture, it is also a curious account of a passion for powder and what its disappearance means. ø Evans looks at several prominent ski towns in the West (including Crested Butte, Jackson Hole, Telluride, Lake Tahoe, Park City, and Mammoth) and the ski bums who either flourished or fled. He chronicles the American West transformed by rising real estate costs, an immigrant workforce, misguided values, and corporate-owned resorts. The story he tells is that of quintessentially American characters?rejecting materialism, taking risks, following their own path?and of the glories and pitfalls their lifestyle presents.

Download or read book Powder Days written by Heather Hansman and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2021-11-09 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *A Boston Globe Bestseller!* *An Outside Magazine Book Club Pick!* *Winner of the International Ski Association's Ullr Book Award!* "A sparkling account."—Wall Street Journal An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America's most preeminent ski journalists The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II, the sport took hold across the country, driven by adventurers seeking the rush of freedom that only cold mountain air could provide. As skiing gained in popularity, mom-and-pop backcountry hills gave way to groomed trails and eventually the megaresorts of today. Along the way, the pioneers and diehards—the ski bums—remained the beating heart of the scene. Veteran ski journalist and former ski bum Heather Hansman takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the hidden history of American skiing, offering a glimpse into an underexplored subculture from the perspective of a true insider. Hopping from Vermont to Colorado, Montana to West Virginia, Hansman profiles the people who have built their lives around a cold-weather obsession. Along the way she reckons with skiing's problematic elements and investigates how the sport is evolving in the face of the existential threat of climate change.

Download or read book Colorado Powder Keg written by Michael W. Childers and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2016-05-23 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Downhill skiing is a vital economic engine for many communities in the Rocky Mountain states, attracting 20 million skier days per season. Colorado is by far the most popular destination, with more than two dozen major ski resorts creating a thriving industry that adds billions to the state's coffers. But, many ask, at what cost? Michael Childers traces the rise of Colorado's ski industry alongside that of the burgeoning environmental movement, which sprang up in opposition to rampant commercial development on mountains that had been designated as public lands. Combining official ski resort figures, U.S. Forest Service documents, real estate and tourism records, wildlife data, newspaper articles, and public comments, Childers shows how what started as an innocent leisurely pursuit has morphed into a multi-billion dollar business that forever changed the landscape of Colorado and brought with it serious environmental consequences. This first environmental history of skiing in Colorado traces the recreation's rise in popularity as a way of examining major changes in public land management in the American West during the last century. As more people headed to Colorado's mountains in search of thrills on the slopes, the USFS quickly became overwhelmed by the demand and turned resort development over to the private sector. The result has been a decades-long battle between developers and environmentalists-with skiers and Colorado residents caught in the middle. Childers examines the history of the ski industry within Colorado throughout the twentieth century along with the challenges the industry's growth posed in balancing the private development of public lands and mounting environmental concerns over issues such as rural growth, wildlife management, and air and water pollution. He then traces the history of radical environmentalism back to the 1960s to show how it picked up momentum, culminating in the Earth Liberation Front's 1998 arson at Vail Ski Resort--which ended up doing more harm than good to the environmentalist cause by recasting the mega-resorts as victims and turning public opinion against all environmental activists in the area. As Americans weigh their desire for fresh powder against their concern for protecting unspoiled lands, Childers's book provides valuable food for thought. Colorado Powder Keg opens a new window on the history of skiing in the American West as it adds to the broader debate over the management and purpose of national forests.

Download or read book Powder Ghost Towns written by Peter Bronski and published by Wilderness Press. This book was released on 2013-03-04 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In its heyday, Colorado had more than 175 ski areas operating on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and while many of those resorts have shut down, their runs still shelter secret stashes of snow. Pristine slopes await backcountry powder hounds out to discover these chutes and steeps, bunny hills and bumps. Chronicling the history of more than 36 of these "lost resorts," Powder Ghost Towns provides the beta for how to ski and board these classic runs today, with comprehensive information on trailheads, where to skin up, and the best descents. Coverage ranges from southern Wyoming's Medicine Bow Mountains to the Colorado-New Mexico border, including famous old resorts like Hidden Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Download or read book The Powder Road written by Stephan Drake and published by Taylor Trade Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Powder Road documents the dream of ski travel. It's the story of a road trip from Colorado to Alaska in search of the best skiing on earth. In February of 2005, with rumors of a big winter in Alaska, four friends left Boulder, CO, driving pickup trucks towing four-stroke snowmobiles and skis. The caravan moved northward and stopped in classic ski towns like Aspen, CO, and Jackson Hole, WY, before crossing the American/Canadian border and into the beautiful ranges of British Columbia and Alaska.

Download or read book Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth written by Jim Steenburgh and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2014-11-13 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Utah has long claimed to have the greatest snow on Earth—the state itself has even trademarked the phrase. In Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth, Jim Steenburgh investigates Wasatch weather, exposing the myths, explaining the reality, and revealing how and why Utah's powder lives up to its reputation. Steenburgh also examines ski and snowboard regions beyond Utah, making this book a meteorological guide to mountain weather and snow climates around the world. Chapters explore mountain weather, avalanches and snow safety, historical accounts of weather events and snow conditions, and the basics of climate and weather forecasting. Steenburgh explains what creates the best snow for skiing and snowboarding in accurate and accessible language and illustrates his points with 150 color photographs, making Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth a helpful tool for planning vacations and staying safe during mountain adventures. Snowriders, weather enthusiasts, meteorologists, students of snow science, and anyone who dreams of deep powder and bluebird skies will want to get their gloves on Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth.

Download or read book Powder Burn written by Carl Hiaasen and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2010-12-28 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Miami hit-and-run witness winds up as bait for drug smugglers—in an “explosive” novel cowritten by the New York Times–bestselling author of Bad Monkey (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Chris Meadows’s charmed life as an up-and-coming architect in Coconut Grove has kept him far removed from Miami’s bloody drug trade. But his comfortable existence comes crashing down around him when Chris witnesses the hit-and-run death of an ex-girlfriend by a car full of drug smuggling gangsters. Now caught up in southern Florida’s brutal underground cocaine war, Meadows is in a fight for his life—to evade not only the hit men seeking to silence him, but also the crooked Miami cops who would rather exploit than protect him. This is the very first suspense thriller written by the New York Times–bestselling author of Razor Girl and Sick Puppy and Bill Montalbano, a writing team praised for its “fine flair for characters and settings” (Library Journal). Those who enjoy Hiaasen’s other Florida thrillers, the Doc Ford novels by Randy Wayne White, or Netflix’s Narcos will want to discover these early crime fiction gems.