Customer Reviews

Off Piste

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Is skiing getting stale for you? This book is a must for any skier who is interested in a more enriching experience on the snow. It covers attitude, technique, snow conditions, avalanche conditions and much, much more. The "self arrest" technique is worth the price of the book. (This from someone who slid down a steep slope, was injured and could have used it.) "Off piste" is not a term used much in the states, but it refers to skiing off the groomed slopes. This book explains a number of ski techniques for different snow conditions. The pictures are gorgeous and support the text. Although I have not met the author, I have had two ski vacations in Val d'Isere. His descriptions of the locale are right on. The size and beauty of the area are unparalleled in the states. This book is something I will refer to every year when the snow starts falling.

This is a striking and unusual book - written with a deep appreciation of the mountains in winter, Wayne Watson is a highly professional instructor and a superb technician who has led many thousands of skiers on off-piste excursions. What makes his book so unusual, and so valuable, is the importance that he places on the environment - its beauty and fragility - and on the need to manage and conserve the snow that gives access to it. As the illustrations so clearly show, the same powder field can offer fresh tracks to dozens of skiers or snowboarders if they use it with care, or it can be trashed by two or three thoughtless or incompetent slope users. As well as offering invaluable advice on issues of safety and technique, this is a truly inspiring book. Written from a highly personal perspective, it contains some memorable descriptions of off-piste skiing. My own favourite is Wayne's description of skiing powder snow in a white-out: "When confident of what lies below, I absolutely love the feeling of skiing into a white nothingness. It can be quite spooky skiing into what seems a vast void, but you get an incredible feeling of free falling." In words as well as pictures, this book captures much of what is best about off-piste skiing.

This book from the UK is a good place to start for Off Piste skiing. It is not a extreme sport book in the sense of extreme skiing. There are good techniques for skiers as well as usful information for snowboarders.