Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book, Revised and Even Better!: Traveling & Camping Skills for a Winter Environment (Falcon Guides) [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Allen O'Bannon (Author), Mike Clelland (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007 | Series: Falcon Guides

In this work, these two National Outdoor Leadership School instructors offer lots of tried-and-true tricks and useful tips drawn from years of experience. The material is easy to understand and accompanied by hundreds of entertaining illustrations by renowned illustrator Mike Clelland!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Allen & Mike are back with totally updated information and first-hand advice for all aspects of backcountry skiing and winter camping. Learn how to choose the right equipment, avoid hazards such as avalanches and extreme cold, build snow shelters, and have fun while staying safe and minimizing the impact on the wilderness.

 

These two National Outdoor Leadership School instructors offer lots of tried-and-true tricks and useful tips drawn from years of experience.
The material is easy to understand and accompanied by hundreds of entertaining illustrations by renowned illustrator Mike Clelland!

About the Author

Allen O'Bannon grew up in Portland, Oregon and while he dabbled a little in skiing and winter camping in the Cascades of Oregon it was really upon moving to the mountains of Wyoming and Idaho at the end of the ‘80’s that he began what has become a life long passion. Allen has worked for the National Outdoor Leadership School since 1987 and spent four seasons working for the United States Antarctic Program. He prefers cold to heat and is miserable at the thought of global warming. He would love some cold weather consulting work.

 

Mike Clelland is a NOLS instructor and illustrator who studied Mad magazine rather than go to art school. He has numerous books with his name on them, including Allen & Mike's Telemark Tips and Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backpackin' Book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 2nd edition (October 1, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0762745851
• ASIN: B001O9CC3Y
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,522,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good winter camping book but...., February 5, 2010

By 

Jose Jalapeno "ClimberDave" (Long Beach Calif) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book, Revised and Even Better!: Traveling & Camping Skills for a Winter Environment (Falcon Guides) (Paperback)

I bought this book because I wanted to get into BC skiing and have a lot of questions about the diffs of tele vs AT, use of skins etc...
The book really doesnt offer much info on skiing. It does however have a lot of info on camping in winter conditions in an easy to read format with lots of pictures.
So if you need info regarding camping in the snow this would probably be a good book for you, if your like me and looking for more info on types of systems when you would want one over the other etc.. you should probably pass on this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A backcountry guide written for skiiers, September 21, 2010

By 

Lisa Linnell-Olsen (Fairbanks, AK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book, Revised and Even Better!: Traveling & Camping Skills for a Winter Environment (Falcon Guides) (Paperback)

BackCountry Ski Book is a little bit misleading of a title, it really is more of a guide to the backcountry written for skiiers. This book is filled with nuggets of wisdom on how to survive and have a great time in the backcountry, when you are skiing.
Much of the book assumes some familiarity with skiing and the outdoors. An absolute beginner can still glean new ideas from context. If this is your first introduction to avalanche safety, and you are planning a trip where this will be important to know stuff, you can get a good intro from this book. The writers also give a list of recommended resources for anyone who needs or want more information.
Clellands cartoon illustrations scattered throughout the book are helpful in understanding the text. The Gonnick style humor keeps the illustrations funny and educational. After O'Bannion states why doing something in a particular manner may not be wise, and gives a better way to manage, one of Clellands illustrations will give you a picture to prove O'Bannion's point.
Some of the tips and suggestions in this book occasionally contradict one another - both Clelland and O'Bannion put in their own favorite tips, even when they disagreed. This allows the reader to select the best idea for themselves. The writers were clear to include under what conditions each idea works best.
This book does not give a lot of instruction on exactly how to ski in the backcountry. You won't find a lengthy discussion of body mechanics on all-mountain vs alpine vs classic skis on virgin powder or slopes. There is some brief discussion on how to get uphill on skis, and similar skills necessary when you aren't at a ski resort.
This book does not have an index, making it a little more challenging to go back and use the book as a reference. Since it is a paperback, you can always mark it up.
The tips on winter camping are really good. There is guidance on which type of camping stoves to get, how to keep your water bottle from freezing, how to pack a sled and many other useful tidbits in this book.
I purchased this book with my own funds. If you are ready to leave resorts behind and head off into the backcountry, get a copy of this book to guide you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Informative!, January 6, 2009

By 

S. Amick "nilaice5" (Chico CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book, Revised and Even Better!: Traveling & Camping Skills for a Winter Environment (Allen & Mike's Series) (Paperback)

The clever humor aside, this book has everything I needed to know before entering the back country. I highly recommend it.