There is something extraordinarily special about sliding on snow that has excited generations of snow sports enthusiasts. Add to this the dimension of travelling through the mountains and the result is a recipe for some of the best outdoor activity days you could ever imagine. I have been fortunate to share some of these adventures with Henry Branigan: Skiing off the summit of Mount Blanc at dawn or, equally enjoyable, skiing under the northern lights from hut to hut in Norway, still my all-time favourite way of travelling through the mountains. A complete guide to alpine ski touring, ski mountaineering and nordic ski touring sets out to provide the fundamentals about going off piste and then journeying through mountain terrain, in a logical, easy to read format. Adapting ski technique for various off piste conditions is an essential skill that makes all the difference between surviving and savouring adventures off piste. The book also covers the fundamental mountaineering knowledge including navigation, weather and avalanches that are essential before venturing beyond the confines of a ski area. Equipment and planning a tour are covered, whether it is in an Alpine or Nordic environment. All in all this is a very comprehensive and valuable resource for anyone aspiring to venture into the mountains on skis. Bob Kinnaird Principal Glenmore Lodge National Outdoor Training Centre

In Mont Blanc Lines, photographer and alpinist Alex Buisse has travelled the Mont Blanc massif to capture images of all the major mountain faces and to trace the classic climbing and skiing lines. As well as Mont Blanc itself, also featured are other Alpine icons, including the north faces of the Grandes Jorasses and the Droites, the Aiguille du Midi, and the Grand Capucin. Whether on the ground in crampons or on skis, or in the air by ultralight or paraglider, he has captured the majesty of the range so that he can tell the story of these classic lines and present them to us in the most stunning way possible. Mont Blanc Lines features images taken during over a decade of mountaineering while Alex worked as a professional photographer based in Chamonix. Alex Buisse's story of these iconic mountain faces is mixed with the stories of climbers who have experienced great moments there. As a bonus feature, also included are the legendary faces of the Matterhorn and the Eiger North Face in Switzerland.

In addition to the film, technical chapters include: equipment - what to pack and what to wear; get your kit on - when and how to wear it and carry it - for maximum efficiency; and planning - from general advice to the night before, to changing plans on the slope. It includes guide books, internet, forecasts, ski maps, sketch plans, and more. It features skinning uphill fitting, caring and using skins - kick turns, picking a line, and more. It covers defensive skiing - get home without getting hurt - using side slip, traverse, kick turn and stem. It helps you in understanding snow Aspect and altitude - finding safe snow and good skiing on the move. It also covers safe travel Avalanche terrain - route choice, assessing gradient, group spacing and communication. Using a rope Abseiling, crevasse rescue, self rescue, and ski belays, it also includes skiing roped on glaciers - not falling in! It also looks at avalanche rescue transceiver, probe and shovel use from simple exercises to dealing with a 'real incident'. This DVD will educate and inspire all those wanting to learn the essential skills and techniques for back country skiing, ski touring and ski mountaineering. Filmed in the Silvretta Alps of Austria, the fifty minute documentary follows a team of four skiers on a varied and exhilarating week of piste, ski touring and ski mountaineering in glaciated terrain. Starting off piste in Ischgl, see how they get a feel for the snow conditions, find fresh tracks, and safely get away from the crowds on a big powder day. Setting off on a simple day tour, see how they make use of skins to reach a ski summit, before enjoying a superb descent to the valley. Finally, they set off on a hut to hut tour - through glacial terrain - taking in alpine summits on the way. See how they make safe decisions about the terrain and snow conditions on the move. Watch how they take sensible precautions to minimise the risks, yet enjoy some superb skiing in the mountains. The skills covered illustrate a progression through off piste skiing to multi day ski tours and ski mountaineering in glaciated terrain, and are appropriate to skiers and boarders of all standards.

From its origins in China and Scandinavia, the sport of skiing has come a long way to attract daring athletes, tourists and locals on winter holiday, the chic and wealthy leisure class, and international royalty. On the technical side, pioneering innovators developed cutting-edge equipment that, over the years, has grown skiing to become a fiercely competitive spectator sport while, on the cultural side, the exciting and well-groomed stars of the ski world and jetsetter destinations have come to define a distinctive and popular global culture and aspirational lifestyle. The Stylish Life: Skiing is a nostalgic and spectacular journey through alpine history and beyond, including this singularly unique sport's founders, superstars, influence on design and entertainment, and the evolution of its resorts, fashion, equipment, and much more.

"A fascinating look inside the complexities and enjoyment of skiing. For every skier, from the beginner to the Olympic Gold Medalist, this book provides a treasure of information." -PAUL MAJOR, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, U.S. SKI TEAM
"I was delighted to learn from this interesting book more about the physics of a sport I have enjoyed for more than seventy years." -NORMAN RAMSEY, NOBEL LAUREATE IN PHYSICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

The second in the Scottish Offpiste guidebook series, this colourful book focuses on the incredible mountains of Glencoe centred around the historic White Corries ski area. 93 routes, 230 pages, 210 full colour photos and diagrams - plus a completely new section on avalanche and mountain safety and decision making.This offpiste skiing and snowboarding guidebook showcases and explores stunning backcountry freeride terrain, steep faces, remote gullies, epic traverses, and the oldest ski hill in Scotland. The skiing on offer in the corridor between Crianlarich and Ballachulish is some of the best in the country, and with the Pass of Glencoe steeped in mountaineering history there are few more atmospheric places to have adventures. Inside you will find easy freeride routes at Glencoe Mountain Resort, hidden corries and gullies on the famous Buachailles and the Bidean nam Bian massif, as well as some classic days out such as the prized Black Mount Traverse. With route entry diagrams, detailed descriptions, and loads of colour photos, this book is not only an essential source of information but a guide that will keep readers inspired until the snow arrives!

Here is the complete guide to a skill that may be mysterious to some, written by Monte Burch, an authority who practices many of the traditions of tanning and hiding. Starting at the beginning, Burch introduces the hunter to the tools of a tanner, and even gives complete plans for making many of these implements. Instructions are given for making fleshing beams, stretchers for pelts, fleshing knives, and many others. He also covers tanning formulas and materials, both traditional and modern. From the oldest method to the newest twist, Burch's guide will be indispensable to the modern hunter. (6 x 9, 240 pages, b&w photos, illustrations) Monte Burch has been trapping and tanning since the 1950s, and writing about the outdoors for four decades. He has written thousands of magazine articles and more than fifty books-including Field Dressing and Butchering Upland Birds, Waterfowl, and Wild Turkeys; Field Dressing and Butchering Deer; and Field Dressing and Butchering Rabbits, Squirrels, and Other Small Game. He lives on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks, where trapping and tanning are a way of life.

Dotted across the whole east-west width of the Alps, Italy's resorts offer a powerful combination of attractions: top class lifts, snowmaking and piste preparation, wonderful scenery, unbeatable food and wine - and to top it off, the lowest prices in western Europe. The book: - covers Italy's top 35 resorts in detail - is fearlessly frank and uncompromisingly impartial in its assessment of resorts - meets the needs of the many, not the few - rates resorts for every standard of skier - includes scores of photos and mountain maps - is designed to be used, with sewn binding and cover flaps for convenient page marking Conceived by the editors of Where to Ski and Snowboard, these new guides - researched and written to the same high standards - have less of the ephemeral detail that people can now get from the web, and more in-depth analysis of the merits of resorts - and coverage of more resorts, too.

Predating the wheel, the ski has played an important role in our history. This is brilliantly brought to life in this engaging book. Roland Huntford's brilliant history begins 20,000 years ago in the last ice age on the icy tundra of an unformed earth. Man is a traveling animal, and on these icy slopes skiing began as a means of survival.That it has developed into the leisure and sporting pursuit of choice by so much of the globe bears testament to its elemental appeal. In polar exploration, it has changed the course of history. Elsewhere, in war and peace, it has done so too. The origins of skiing are bound up with the emergence of modern man and the world we live in today.

Skiing in movies, like the sport itself, grew more prevalent beginning in the 1930s, when it was a pastime of the elite, with depictions reflecting changes in technique, fashion and social climate. World War II saw skiing featured in a dozen films dealing with that conflict. Fueled by postwar prosperity, the sport exploded in the 1950s-filmmakers followed suit, using scenes on snow-covered slopes for panoramic beauty and the thrill of the chase. Through the free-spirited 1960s and 1970s, the downhill lifestyle shussed into everything from spy thrillers to beach party romps. The extreme sports era of the 1980s and 1990s brought snowboarding to the big screen. This first ever critical history of skiing in film chronicles a century of alpine cinema, with production information and stories and quotes from directors, actors and stuntmen.

Fully revised and updated 2nd edition including an entirely new chapter on avalanches If you want to leave the confines of the piste, and explore the mountains and valleys beyond, then this is the book for you. Everything you need to make the transition from piste skiing to ski touring is here, from downhill off-piste and uphill skills to avalanche awareness. All aspects are covered in detail, with clear descriptions and stunning photos. The first section of the book covers the knowledge and techniques required to travel beyond the marked trail. The second part contains a selection of Bruce's favourite tours, in guidebook style, to help you plan your own backcountry adventure.

There's nothing more exciting and engaging than the Olympic Games. Athletes from across the globe unite to participate in the most thrilling and vigorous competitions of their lives. These athletes didn't get to the Olympics by accident -- it takes years of dedication, sweat, and training to become an Olympic athlete. But you don't have to be training for the Olympics to enjoy sports. Whether you like bike riding, skiing, or softball this official U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Series has been designed to introduce young athletes and their families to the world of Olympic sports. Each book explains how the sport is played, what to watch for as a spectator, and how to get actively involved as a participant.

The stately Mont Blanc and Aiguilles Rouges massifs are amongst the world's most popular and prestigious ski and winter mountaineering destinations. Chamonix based mountain guide Anselme Baud, a figurehead of extreme skiing, has written and now updated the first comprehensive guidebook of ski mountaineering to this fantastic playground and its unique choice of ski rides. Ranging from backcountry ski touring classics to the toughest ski mountaineering challenges, this guide includes precise and complete descriptions of over 400 descents. With over 300 colour photos, maps and diagrams, this is an indispensable guide to quite simply some of the world's best skiing!