The All-Mountain Skier: The Way to Expert Skiing [Paperback]

Mark Elling (Author), R. Mark Elling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

This work explains the authors system for transforming intermediate skiers into advanced skiers and advanced into expert. The goal is "extreme skiing" - speed, jumping ability and fluid grace on difficult terrain and challenging snow conditions. It features a guide to expert performance in tough terrain including powder, ice, hardback, crud, bumps, steeps and trees.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Covers more information than a week's worth of private lessons." - Ski Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

"Covers more information than a week's worth of private lessons."--Ski magazine

The All-Mountain Skier takes you to the most difficult places on the mountain--bumps, steeps, and trees--and helps you conquer them. If you yearn for speed, gravity-defying jumps, or fluid grace on challenging terrain, here is your step-by-step guide to becoming an expert all-mountain skier.

This second edition contains all the information you need on the latest equipment--including shaped skis, boots, bindings, and footbeds--to perform like a pro on crud, hardpack, powder, and ice.

"Wow! This book can help you conquer the steeps of Valdez, the peaks of the Alps, the powder of Alta, and everything in between. A blizzard of information that will truly change the way you ski."--Gordy Peifer, U.S. (2000) and Canadian (1998) Freeskiing Champion, ski film star --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070218641
• ISBN-13: 978-0070218642
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,516,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A resource for the advanced skier, December 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The All-Mountain Skier: The Way to Expert Skiing (Paperback)

This book is great. A beginner or even an intermediate may find much of the information to be too advanced to be useful. Advanced skiers should find it to be an excellent resource.

The book, among other things emphasizes the importance of steering, espescially in the important transition phase between turns. (Intermediate and even advanced skiers who learn how to edge effectively, often abandon their steering skills and simply step from the outside edge of one ski to the outside edge of the other ski.) The mechanics of effective steering are explained well as is the importance of the skill in more difficult terrain.

Fundamentals are emphasized. The modifications and different blends of skills which are required on moguls, powder, crud, steeps, ice and in the trees are also explained very well.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great approach to all-terrain skiing, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The All-Mountain Skier: The Way to Expert Skiing (Paperback)

Highly recommended book for any skier who aspires to the Holy Grail of being able to ski in all kinds of terrain, in any condition. This book is most suitable for intermediate to advanced skiiers who are hoping to make the progression to all-terrain skier one day.

It's often very difficult to pay attention to all of the different skills needed to ski well at the same time. Mr. Elling uses a "toolbox" approach to break down each skill, and recommends specific drills to strengthen one's abilities in each skill.

Where this book really shines, though, is Elling's explanation of how these different skills should be combined in order to tackle different types of terrain and/or snow condition. Many ski instruction books out there are written with the goal of teaching you how to ski expertly...on perfectly groomed snow. But the skills that apply to Eastern hardpack/ice (edging, pressure on single ski, etc.) do not apply to Utah powder (even weighting on both skis) and Mr. Elling spells out the differences better than anyone else I have come across.

Also a useful section on ski equipment and boot fit that correctly drives home how important good boot fit is to effective skiing.

Overall an excellent book that anyone who wants to stray off the corduroy should take a look at.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive ski instruction book, January 28, 2004

By 

dasn0wman "dasn0wman" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All-Mountain Skier : The Way to Expert Skiing (Paperback)

This book is amazingly comprehensive for its size. It is roughly two-hundred pages, yet it breaks down the essentials of making good turns, contains an in-depth look at each ski equipment and how to maintain it, and breaks down special techniques for various snow conditions (powder, moguls, etc). If this isn't enough, there is a more technical section at the end for serious ski freaks. This is nuts. I also have the book, "Ski the Whole Mountain", and it probably has only half the information this book has.

At first glance, you may not like this book because it is black and white and not as flashy as "Ski the Whole Mountain". Also, most of the pictures are hand-drawn illustrations. However, upon reading it, you will be hypnotized and the black and white illustrations seem to almost come alive. It is testimony to the fine writing by the author.

If you ever want to ski moguls, this is the book. For years, I look at expert mogul skiers go down and I keep saying to myself that they must have some special paths they follow but I just don't know what. Well, this book draws the path, the moguls, the works!

This is an amazing book and probably the only book you need to ski like a pro. But I read "The Skier's Edge", and that book actually contains even more technical information (if that's possible) so you may want to check that one as well.