Mountain Skiing

by Vic Bein

1982, trade paperback edition, The Mountaineers, Seattle, WA, 192 pages. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898860342
• ISBN13: 9780898860344
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.

Customer Reviews

interdisciplinary breadth and moderate technical depth

This is a great book, and it's a shame it's out of print. It shows it's age a bit (1982), but Vic keeps it pretty timeless by focusing mainly on those concepts which are forever-relevant. The book covers Nordic skiing, and some Alpine touring, and also winter mountaineering. Really though, he's not writing about several distinct hobbies, but rather being very down-to-earth about how to get maximum enjoyment out of the mountains. My favorite thing about this is the technique covered. Even though this is largely a book about nordic skiing in the mountains, he goes well beyond telemark turns. Also covered, are paralell, wedeln, reverse telemark, and a number of really silly looking ones as well. Practicing one type of turn will help with others, so this is a good way to strengthen overall technique. I think it's perfect for a book about the backcountry because conditions/terrain may be especially unpredictable and it's useful to have a variety of techniques handy. Some of the things this book suggests practicing essentially amount to being ready for some crazy positions you might find yourself in by accident. Another good thing about this book is the technical discussion of gear. Vic advocates being fully prepared, but keeping gear to a minimum. He discusses technical attributes of skis, bindings, and boots concisely and on a practical level (e.g. how to decide whether your skis should be torsionally-stiff/long/shaped/etc.). What can be found in this part of the book is useful in giving the reader a more thorough understanding of how a ski works, so it's useful for any kind of skiier. Although I've been reading up on this kind of stuff for a while, there were several things that I didn't know or wasn't clear on--this book put them in refreshingly straightforward form. The author is open-minded and thorough--a powerful combination. He's got a good view of what's important in skiing (enjoyment), and delivers his message clearly and simply. I think this book is a must for anyone heading to the backcountry, or hopping on telemark gear, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in any kind of skiing/snowboarding/teleboarding/whatever.