Ski Pioneers: Ernie Blake, His Friends, & the Making of Taos Ski Valley [Hardcover]

Rick Richards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1992

A kaleidoscope of voices, Ski Pioneers focuses on the most dynamic and colorful characters in the history of American skiing. Tracing the lives of Taos Ski Valley founder Ernie Blake and his early skiing friends, this book goes beyond biography to tell the origins of the downhill sport in the West. Assembling interviews with some of the greatest names in skiing, Rick Richards describes the making or Ernie Blake, the man who envisioned a world-class resort in Taos Ski Valley. He follows Ernie from Europe to New Mexico, recounting events that shaped Blake's life and changed American skiing. From the first runs at Sun Valley to the steeps of Taos today, Richards recreates the pioneering journeys of the first, innovative skiers in the nation. With twenty-two chapters of reminiscences, humorous anecdotes, and commentary, and more than 250 historic and personal photos, Ski Pioneers is the most detailed look at ski history to be published in recent decades.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A 'Truly Exceptional' ski book -- Dick Needham, Editor-in-Chief,Ski Magazine

First-person narratives of those who knew Blake best, virtually a Who's Who list of the early skiing giants. -- New Mexico Magazine

Ski Pioneers is a rare treasure of memories, conversations, and history of the development of skiing in the West. -- Vail Trail

This fine history, with great feeling for the recent past, will become a collector's classic. -- Snow country Magazine

About the Author

Rick Richards grew up with Taos Ski Valley. An avid hiker, biker, scuba diver and skier, he has taught skiing at Taos, at Klosters-Davos in Switzerland, and at Aspen Highlands. He has run racing camps for kids, constructed commercial buildings and homes, and trekked six times to Nepal. With his wife Jean he organized the first American ascent of Ohmi Kangri on the Tibetan border. He now lives near the Taos Ski Valley.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Skyhouse; 1 edition (December 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560441577
• ISBN-13: 978-1560441571
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book with great pictures, March 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ski Pioneers: Ernie Blake, His Friends, & the Making of Taos Ski Valley (Hardcover)

This book contains incredible interviews with skiing legends along with wonderful pictures illustrating the history of skiing. I found that I did not want to put the book down, both because it contains skiing history as told by the participants and because the writing holds your interest. It is really a shame that the author did not film the interviews, because it would have made an outstanding documentary.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collected pearls from the founders of American skiing, November 20, 2004

By 

Daner (Stockholm (via Vail)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ski Pioneers: Ernie Blake, His Friends, & the Making of Taos Ski Valley (Hardcover)

The incredible life of Ernie Blake and the desire to celebrate his wonderful legacy may have inspired Rick to start this project, but the finished product turned out to be much more than just a book about a fascinating person and a wonderful ski resort. This is by far the most comprehensive collection of ski lore (complete with accompanying photography) that I have ever had the pleasure to peruse, most of it directly transcribed from personal interviews with those who were the midwives at the birth of lift-served skiing in North America. If you have any sense of history and have enjoyed making turns on snow, this book should be in your collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than Taos, December 26, 2004

By 

Pappa Woody (Zion's Crotch) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ski Pioneers: Ernie Blake, His Friends, & the Making of Taos Ski Valley (Hardcover)

This is so much better than your average ski history.

It covers a time when the hardcore ski community was much smaller and tighter than today, and all of the pioneers of skiing were finding their places to make ski areas. Tremendously real, told in the words of the pioneers themselves, this is just fantastic reading. Probably the most wonderful aspect of the book is how well it goes with the actual experience of being in Taos Ski Valley today, many of the subjects of the book, including the editor, are easy to find in TSV, going about their daily business. The experience of reading this book, then seeing it all come to life in front of you is spectacular.