Alpine Reviews

He was the first person in history to ski down all of Colorado's fourteeners. He's climbed all at least once and many several times. Among his accomplishments are four ascents up the Diamond face of Longs Peak, so it is no surprise that Longs Peak figures prominently in this text. Dawson began climbing at an early age, and has written several other guide books for hikers in Colorado. His illustrations are excellent, and his narratives are brief enough to keep your interest and meaty enough to provide the information most are looking for.

Instead of general advice and platitudes, the book is full of specifics, with clear illustrations drawn from action photos of some of the world's best skiers (Hermann Maier, Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Katja Seizinger, Alberto Thomba--the book was put together a year before Bode Miller took the World Cup by storm and radical inclination.)

It's an essential book for recreational ski racers, and a good book for anyone who aspires to ski with excellence (or who just wants to know how those top racers ski so incredibly well).

Now (sigh) I just have to wait some months for the white flakes so I can practice more of the book learning in the gates.

For those who want to experience the North Cascades as they were in the 30's and 40's, reading the "Trails and Alpine Hiking Approaches" section will steer you in the right direction. This book is rife with golden kernels of information found nowhere else. Any serious climber should have all three of the Cascade Alpine Guide books.

Mike Quinn

The SOFT COVER BINDING FALLS APART after one or two openings. Of three people I know with the soft cover, all three have fallen apart. BUY THE HARD COVER VERSION!

From how Disabled Skiing got it start after WWII to the legends in the sport, athletes, coaches, sponsors & supporting staff, to classifications & training schedules, this book covers it all.

ALPINE ACHIEVEMENT is an exciting, exhilarating, informative edition to your sports library.

Then there is the sections on skiing blind, above the knee amputees, arm amputees, those who ski mono and those who want to do so for pleasure as well as competition. It also talks about NASTAR , which is the acronym for the National Standard Race and is the largest public recreational grassroots ski race program in the world, developed in 1968.

This year over 100 ski area courses are scheduled to have meets.

On page 105 the author notes (and I agree) "Anyone who enjoys skiing knows the pleasure that comes from being out in fresh mountain air, viewing the surrounding landscape from ski lifts and mountaintops, and the feeling of wind brushing across your face as you glide across the snow covered hillside. Skiing also improves strength, endurance and balance, which is especially beneficial for people with disabilities."

There is a healthy size glossary of terms at the back of the book along with pages 141-178 dedicated to names, addresses and other contacts for ski areas in all ski states. As well as information on how to get involved.

This is a book I am getting my library since I want more people from my community to know that just because they or a family member or friend is in a wheel chair or otherwise disabled doesn't mean they cant take part in winter sports!

This is the story of the often unbelievable feats, courage and spirit of the United States Disabled Olympic Ski Team. It is a comprehensive history of those diasabled persons who have overcome and adjusted to obstacles of great magnitude, and become first rate athletes. An enjoyable read and a resource for anyone who is interested in, or wants to know more about, the necessary adjustments required of a blind skiier, for example, or a one-legged person--as well as the history of disabled skiing; chronicling its beginnings from shortly after WWII to the present.

Read about the prosthetic and adaptive equipment made available by various equipment manufacturers, as well as the efforts of rehabilitation professionals and volunteers.

This is a well-written account, easily worth five stars.

Joseph Pierre

This book is the only ready material you should take on your next ski trip. If you read it before then (and you should), you will quickly develop a powerful longing for the slopes.