P3: Pipes, Parks, and Powder [Hardcover]

Todd Richards (Author), Eric Blehm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2003

Todd Richards, tells the story of his life as a skateboarder-turned- world-class-snowboarder, and of the sport that in less than 10 years has gone from underground to the forefront of the Olympics.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Richards is a world-class snowboarder, one of the sport's superstars, an Olympic contender, inspiration for a video game, and subject of numerous magazine articles. This is his autobiography, written (with coauthor Blehm) for readers familiar with the sport and its lingo (the uninitiated might find the whole thing a little perplexing). It's the story of a young man who comes to a sport in its infancy, who grows up as the sport is catapulted onto the world stage, and who, in fact, helps turn it from a pastime into a sport. If it were just about Richards, the book would seem drastically thin and rather self-absorbed. But, because it also chronicles the growth of snowboarding from skiing alternative to Olympic event, it has value for those interested in the history of winter sports. Ignore the book's oft-tedious then-I-did structure and concentrate on the bigger story of how a new sport graduates to the mainstream. A niche book, certainly, but just the thing for snowboarding fans. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Todd Richards continues to compete in and win the world's most prestigious snowboarding competitions and is currently producing his second trick-tips video. He makes frequent television appearances but is avoiding a commentator job for as long as possible -- at least until he lands a major role in a future Star Wars movie. He lives with his wife and son in Encinitas, California, and Breckenridge, Colorado.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment; 1st edition (November 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060560401
• ISBN-13: 978-0060560409
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,849,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasure to read, December 6, 2003

By 

Kendra Phillips (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P3: Pipes, Parks, and Powder (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my son who is a snowboarder. It was meant to be a Christmas gift, but when I got home I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Todd's story is a wonderful account of a dream lifestyle that is entirely possible if you set your mind to something. P3 is a great inspirational read that recounts, step by step, Todd Richards rise to the top of professional snowboarding. He has no problem admitting his mistakes, and personal flaws which make his super hero stature all the more endearing. My son ended up getting an early Christmas present because I couldn't wait for him to read it, even with all the gross stories of boogers, and, well... read the book. You'll see what I mean. It had me laughing out loud.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ste'en Webster, Editor, NZ Snowboarder Magazine, June 30, 2004

By 

Ste'en Webster (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P3: Pipes, Parks, and Powder (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in snowboarding, P3 is a great read. It was even better for me, serving as a reminder to how much has happened to our sport in a short span, and bringing me back to the days I spent in Colorado - often at the same events/locations as Todd Richards. I found myself digging up old journals and reliving years of P/P/P in Breckenridge. Todd Richards is in the unique situation of having been involved in every generation of snowboarding so far, and at the forefront of most of these. So I can't think of anyone in a better position than him to put together a book like this. And compliments to author Eric Blehm for making the pieces come together so well, a task that no doubt would've been bigger than the result would imply. Cheers!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book RULES., January 27, 2004

By 

SteelyDAM (San Antonio, TX (currently exiled from North SD County)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P3: Pipes, Parks, and Powder (Hardcover)

This is definitely snowboarding's version of "HAWK Occupation: Skateboarder".

Here's an awesome story about a guy who started out like a lot of us, just stoked to skate sketchy ramps with friends...but who transformed himself into the top Snowboard Genius somehow. The tales of his formative years are epic, piss-your-pants funny at times. Then once the career starts taking off, a testament to how working your butt off at something (wiring mind blowing tricks) can bring great things, even to a down-to-earth guy from humble beginnings like the rest of us. It is also very interesting to hear about dealing with the industry side of snowboarding from someone who's been there since almost the beginning. Like David Robinson and the Spurs, this book chronicles how nice guys can and do finish first sometimes. We can all share the stoke reading about how TR wins tons of contests, finds fulfillment in life, gets the pretty girl, all without selling out and/or becoming a cocky bastard like so many seem to.

And the pictures, pure sweetness! They're a top-notch complement to the text throughout and really help tell TR's story. From bravely included photos of the awkward pre-teen and teen years where he was an undersized Star Wars junky with a bad haircut to well-shot professional sequences in the pipe, there are tons of stellar images. One thing that comes to mind after looking over the photos: TR definitely could have made it as a professional skater too, no doubt about it. And the moves he's still pulling on skate and snowboard into his 30's will blow minds.

I started reading this book one night where I needed to get to bed early due to an important meeting the next day. Did I get to bed early? Hell no. Stayed up until I'd dusted almost 200 pages! And I could have read it straight through...it is hands-down that good, but the need to be coherent at my a.m. meeting the next day intervened. Bottom line: Buy it now, you'll be glad you did - whether you're a "grown-up", a stoked kid, a surfer/skater/or snowboarder, armchair X-Gamer...whatever.