Backcountry Book Club

There’s nothing like curling up with a good book — especially if that book is about the backcountry! Below you’ll find a list of books all about backcountry skiing and riding. Our Backcountry Book Club has something for the snow science nerd, the skiing historian, the one who wants to know where to go on their next tour, and anyone who just likes a good story. When your legs get tired and you have to call it a day, you don’t have to stop thinking about skiing or riding. Pick up one of these great reads and we guarantee you’ll learn some interesting things.

Powder Days

Who’s it for:

Those who are curious about the story of skiing in America or anybody who has shaped their life around the sport.

What it’s about:

The subtitle says it all, “Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow.” An Outside Magazine Book Club Pick, this book contains stories that you won’t find anywhere else. Heather Hansman shines a light on under-the-radar characters and the culture of these people that have made skiing their number one priority. She discusses the evolution of the places that skiers choose to call home and the highs and lows of this lifestyle. Hansman’s storytelling is eloquent, nostalgic, and thought provoking.

Related:

In Search of Powder

Tracking the Wild Coomba

Who’s it for:

Those who are curious about the origins of extreme skiing and one of the integral characters in its rise.

What it’s about:

Doug Coombs was a hero to author Rob Cocuzzo. If you haven’t heard the name Doug Coombs before, by the end of this book it will be a name that you won’t soon forget. In this biography of his hero, Cocuzzo brings the reader on a journey of Coombs’ storied career from nearly becoming paralyzed in his youth to winning the first World Extreme Ski Competition in Alaska.

Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek

Who’s it for:

Those who want a well told story of an accident in the mountains.

What it’s about:

Everybody makes mistakes. Published in the New York Times, This is the Pulitzer Prize winning story of a fatal mistake made by some of the most experienced freeskiers and riders in the country. Read the story here.

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain

Who’s it for:

Those who want to stay alive in avalanche terrain, so probably a good read for anybody traveling in this terrain.

What it’s about:

Written by Bruce Tremper, and now in its third iteration, this is the nation’s best-selling avalanche safety book. This is a must-read regardless of your backcountry experience. Unlike the books listed above, this is not a story, but rather a reference book. It is chock-full of information that is all paramount to doing what the title of the book says: staying alive in avalanche terrain. While this information could be dense, Tremper does a great job of breaking it down into comprehensible and digestible parts that make the reading more enjoyable and less like a chore.

Related:

Snow Sense

SWAG (Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Guidelines)

Who’s it for:

Those who want to be able to understand and speak the technical language of snow, weather, and avalanches.

What it’s about:

This isn’t a book that we recommend you read cover to cover in one sitting. It is DENSE. Written by the American Avalanche Association, these guidelines help the reader to become fluent in avalanche talk. The guidelines were made for avalanche forecasting operations. If you’re relatively new to the world of avalanches you will be blown away by this foreign language. You can access these guidelines here.

Allen and Mike’s Avalanche Book

Who’s it for:

Those who want to learn about avalanche safety in a more visual and less technical way than Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain.

What it’s about:

This book perfectly blends information with illustrations to create a fun reading experience. This is an especially great book if you’re new to the world of avalanches. It covers everything from what you need to do before you even leave your house to après ski.

Related:

Allen and Mike’s Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book

Beacon Guidebooks

Who’s it for:

Those who want a super portable and durable guidebook that you can take with you on your adventures.

What it’s about:

Beacon Guidebooks has created a really awesome three part system, including books, maps, and apps, to make planning and executing your ski tour a breeze. All three of these parts are for a specific zone, such as Berthound Pass, Mt. Baker, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass, and more. They even offer a book that specifically focuses on mellow routes to reduce avalanche risk.

Related:

Avalanche Search + Rescue: A Backcountry Field Guide

 

Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes Colorado

Who’s it for:

Those looking to explore the Colorado backcountry.

What it’s about:

If you’re looking for a single book to help you decide where to ski in the state of Colorado, this is it. The authors of this book, Brittany Walker Konsella and Frank Konsella have impressive ski resumes. They both have skied all 58 Colorado 14ers (Brittany was the second woman to do this). If you take a Backcountry Lesson or AIARE Course with us you might be lucky enough to have Brittany as one of your instructors.

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

Who’s it for:

Those who want THE textbook on all things mountaineering.

What it’s about:

First published over 50 years ago, and now in its 9th iteration, this book was put together by over 40 mountaineers at the top of their game. Like many fields, in mountaineering it is important to get hands-on experience. This book unfortunately can’t provide that, but it can, and does, provide just about everything else. If you opened this book and you didn’t know what a mountain was, by the end of it you’d be able to explain how to safely navigate complex alpine terrain. This book can truly take someone from zero to hero.

Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America

Who’s it for:

Those who want a beautiful coffee table book or those who are big Cody Townsend fans and want to follow along with his project.

What it’s about:

This isn’t quite a reference book, nor is it a story. It combines elements of both. You may have heard of this book if you follow professional skier Cody Townsend and his work on “The Fifty Project” – a multi-year project with the objective of skiing and documenting all the lines in this book. The videos from this project bring to life the pages of this book. If you aren’t an extremely experienced and skilled ski mountaineer, most of these lines can only be fantasized about. Flipping through this book is guaranteed to get you stoked to ski and get you dreaming about your own objectives.