Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide [Paperback]

Neal Beidleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2006

This pocket-sized color book is the ultimate insider's guide to the lift-accessible, in-bounds skiing and snowboarding on Aspen's four mountains: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. Author Neal Beidleman shares local knowledge that will help you make the most of your time and find the best terrain in Aspen/Snowmass including over 150 runs not covered by the trail map. Packed with action and aerial color photographs, this book is also a source of inspiration and handy souvenir of your ski and snowboard adventures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Like tight-lipped locals, the trail maps you get at ticket windows surrender few of a mountain's real secrets, such as where to find the best bumps or when specific runs get groomed. But in several ski towns, insiders are starting to talk in print. Former Everest guide and longtime Aspen resident Neal Beidleman has just released Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide, the first-ever guidebook to Aspen's four mountains. Small enough to stash in a pocket, the book has annotated aerial photos, tips on how to find unmarked glades, and more. As Beidleman says, books like his "give you in-depth knowledge to help you ski the mountain smarter." --Men's Journal, December 2006

A modern day master-piste! Like Neal [Beidleman] himself, the Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide is packed full of adventures, thoroughly detailed, and delivers the ultimate inside scoop. --Andrew McLean, author of The Chuting Gallery

Years of local knowledge condensed into a quick reference guide. If you want to learn about, and then find, challenging terrain in Aspen/Snowmass, this is it. --Billy Madsen, 2006 Power 8 World Masters Champ

About the Author

Crested Butte was a great place to be in 1963 ... but there was no school to attend, so at the end of the ski season the Beidleman family moved to the big city of Aspen. Neal grew up skiing every day after school and ski raced through high school. His summers were filled with climbing the mountains and crags of the valley along with lots of lawn mowing, newspaper delivery, and construction. As a student at CU-Boulder, he continued ski racing at the University and then coached for two years. Somehow, Neal obtained a degree in mechanical engineering and began working in the aerospace industry. He talked several prominent aerospace companies into hiring him, so he worked on rockets and designed satellites. Between 92 and 00, the big mountains of the Himalaya called. In between jobs he climbed on the likes of Annapurna, K2, Cho Oyu and summitted Makalu and Everest as a guide. In 94 he had had enough of Boulder and moved back to Aspen fulltime to start an engineering design and consulting business, IDEA Inc. He and Amy Gilbertson were married later that year. When not working, he keeps himself busy rock climbing up Independence Pass, where he has established about 150 new routes. Neal has skied from the summits of all of the Elk Range 14ers and once ran all of them in a single, continuous 70 mile push. In the winters, he can be found out skiing on the mountains around Aspen as much as he can get away with. Neal s biggest joy, however, is being alongside Amy watching their two kids, Nina (9) and Reed (6), grow up and figure out the world for themselves.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Wolverine Publishing; 1st edition (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972160973
• ISBN-13: 978-0972160971
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for anyone spending time there, February 1, 2008

By 

OutdoorEnthusiast (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide (Paperback)

My wife and I have skied at Aspen for years and already knew our way around Ajax, Highlands, and Snowmass. But Neal's book has shown us some trails that we'd missed. It's a convenient size to carry and he adds some good local's stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful Guide Book, July 24, 2008

By 

Scott Martin "Scott Martin" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide (Paperback)

I've been to Aspen several times for skiing and, like most visitors, have to rely on the trail map for navigation unless I take a lesson and have the benefit of a professional to take me to the best spots for my ability. It's summer now as I write and it's so hot that the flies are on strike but this book already has me thinking about winter because it brings the trail map to life: in place of a green, red, blue, or yellow line on a piece a paper, I know a bit more about the run, its true challenge, and often the story behind the mysterious name. Why are the Dumps on Aspen Mountain called the Dumps? What does AMF, a run at The Cirque at Snowmass, really stand for? Get the book and you'll find out.

While the book is perhaps targeted at the more serious skier, there's plenty for the intermediate as Beidleman describes every run on every mountain (I think) including places where the way-hones wouldn't normally visit, like Buttermilk. The book includes 150 runs that aren't on the trail map...which is nice.

I also like the more accurate rating system than one would find on a trail map. Most resorts fib a little when it comes to blue, green, black, but Beidleman's system, along with frequent cautionary sentences, provides a true sense of the challenge, risks, and dangers. A run might be listed as double black diamond extreme but is it? Is there a run you'd like to try that's more difficult and potentially dangerous than indicated? Is there a way down the Back of Bell that's not as tough as the trail map indicates? Is a run bumped out or steep or both? You'll find out in the book.

It's a pocket size book, as it should be, and the price may seem a touch steep, but most of the book is in four color and the photos are extremely valuable and much more illustrative than a typical trail map; and to me, a trail map is a superb example of top-quality commercial illustration.

If you're an advanced, expert, or advanced intermediate skier, then the book is a must as you'll really get a sense of where you'll find the most fun for your level on the mountain, thus maximizing the efficacy of your VST. If you're a cruiser, then the book will make you want to get better and, at the very least, just get you fired up about getting to the mountain(s). I'm really looking forward to spending some time with this small but powerful tome and it's going to enhance my enjoyment of a place I already really love.