Recommended book

[SnowGlider]

I spent this evening at Borders Books reading "The Essential Guide to Skiing," by Ron Lemaster, $22. I highly recommend this book for any skier.

It's a compact book (not one of those big glossy ones loaded with photos of young guys doing things I never intend to do) packed with an amazing amount of PRACTICAL information. I was especially impressed with the very detailed information about buying boots and self-fitting them---there are detailed suggestions for how to pad the liner for every possible foot problem, and suggestions for the padding materials and glues. Ditto for buying skis.

The book covers just about every aspect of skiing---even how to get a lunch table in a crowded lodge!

It addresses many of the questions that keep coming up in this forum.

[P.S. Is it ethically correct to use Borders as a library? I do it all the time. I manage my entire life through Borders. Saves money on doctors, therapists, life coaches, car mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, astrologers . . . ]

 

[Jean M]

I second this recommendation. My husband and I read this book cover to cover the first season we skiied and I know it helped us prepare better and enjoy ourselves more. We avoided lots of newbie mistakes and now that we aren't newbies anymore we still go back and read certain sections as needs and interest dictate.

I would also recommend Skiing and the Art of Carving by Ellen Post Foster. This is a how-to book that is very well organized and breaks everything down into chunks of do-able tasks. It gives you strategies and lesson plans including homework so that you can "be your own ski instructor". Of course this can't replace a real live instructor - but in my opinion it is as close as you can get if you are not in a position to take lessons.

As for Borders- I am with you. My husband, children and I go once a week just to hang out and read for an entire evening. Most of the time we exercise self discipline and go home empty handed. Those nights that we buy books, justify in our minds, all the recreational reading and research that we do there. We frequent the Borders in Concord - maybe we will run across you someday!

Jean

 

[Greeley]

You also need to get Harald Harb's 1st 2 books - 'Anyone Can Be an Expert Skier 1 & 2'. I have been following Harald for several years now. He is much easier to understand than most instructors. I pretty much have bomb proof technic in all conditions since using his PMTS method of skiing.