Customer Reviews

Ski the Whole Mountain (Tr)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As far as I'm aware, no other book covers advanced ski technique. The DesLauriers cover catching air, jump turns for steep terrain and tight chutes, crud skiing, and a host of other advanced technique that is difficult to find any info on. The pictures in this book are breathtaking. They are also very informative and illustrate the written instruction. The book is well written and easy to understand. There are even short descriptions of great skiing around the world. And the book closes with an introduction to backcountry skiing. If you're looking for an intro book I would go with "Lito's Breakthrough On Skis". On the other hand, if you are an accomplished skier looking to learn advanced techniques, some of which are rarely taught, "Ski the Whole Mountain" is excellent.

Having read every respectable ski instruction book and watched every video available I highly recomend this book to every intermediate and above skier looking to advance. Actually beginners could profit also before the PSIA crowd confuses the simple tricks of skiing on the "new" skis. Skiing well means skiing in all snow conditions and on all types of terrain. As the Deslauriers explain,the same basic physical moves apply to all terrain and snow conditions. Read Chapter 1,then reread it. Do it again. Get it in your head and you'll raise your level several notches. This is the best instructional book in the ski world, bar none. When will they put it on video?
It is amazing that world famous extreme skiers can actually write coherently. (Was it ghostwritten?) Unlike the current crop of freeskiers, the bros. D. must have gotten a little education before opting for the skier's life.

This book has a very, very brief chapter on the basics of edging and then it jumps directly to skiing powder, crud, steeps, trees, moguls, and air! Um, needless to say, not a book for your average beginner.

I've previously gave this book a low rating, but have now changed it because I realize this is a really good book for expert skiers. I have not tried the powder techniques because there is no powder where I am, but the crud techniques are very useful. There is no doubt the authors spend a lot of time on steeps because this is the biggest and most comprehensive section of the book. The worst section is the one on moguls because it is very short and does not provide sufficient information to rip them like a pro. Another book, "The All-Mountain Skier", provides the best mogul section I've seen so far. The air techniques are great and provide good fundamentals for anyone going to the terrain park. There is even a section on cross-country skiing for anyone interested in starting. The photos in this book will probably be the best you will ever see and they are full-color. The skiers photographed in this book are emulatable (unlike the skiers photographed in "The All-Mountain Skier"). Check out "The Skier's Edge" for b/w photos of pro-skiers. It's ashame there is no one book with all the necessary information to improve your skiing. But getting all three books will come close to such an imaginary book.

For all of you ski junkies out there, this is an excellent addition to your ski library. The Deslauriers take the mystery out of much of the advanced skiing techniques and describe the relatively simple movements you can use to ski the entire mountain in rain, snow or shine. It is an entertaining read that will have you pining for the slopes. Excellent, excellent photos!

Eric and Rob Deslauriers take you along their exciting world of skiing through a well thoughtout and easy to follow progression of tools and techniques to show you how to handle a variety of snow conditions for all types of terrain. The book covers in understandable terms how to approach different situations and what drills to practice to prepare you for any situation. In addition to the outstanding instruction each page is beautifully illustrated with the work noted ski photographer Hank DeVre.

If you are an advanced skier or ski teaching professional this is a must have book.

Hi, my name is Pieter, I'm from the Netherlands. I am an intermediate skier who bought this book to get additional instruction on how to treat my skis in challenging circumstances. And yes, this book gives you most of the answers you need. Carving, steeps, powder and moguls are explained in a simple but very instructive way. The authors claim to be inspired, among others, by Harald Harb's teaching method. If you are not familiar with Harb's method, I doubt if you fully understand the meaning of all tips and tricks the DesLauriers brothers give you. Apart from that, it is a must read for all intermediate and near-expert skiers who are looking for a great ski companion.

I highly recommend this book for a thorough discussion of soft snow technique off piste. Unlike other modern books, it dares discuss skiing in life-threatening terrain -- in this way it is a modern take on the old classic 'Backcountry Skiing' by Lito Tejada-Flores. It explicitly does not delve deeply into mogul technique, and in general focuses on soft snow skiing with wide skis. It has a rare step by step discussion of how to approach cliff jumping, something you will not learn from your ski instructor! For that alone it is worth the price.

It is not, however, crafted with the depth, care, or style as 'Backcountry Skiing,' and so remains somewhat a glib introduction to real mountain scenarios (avalanche study, winter mountaineering, etc). The occasional boxes advertising various resorts and their luxurious amenities gives it a bit of a playboy feel -- perhaps the Brothers have lost sight of their lesser brethren that will be sleeping in parking lots and trailheads in beat up campers to attack the same mountains. This space would have been better used with the more exercises for the advanced skier -- most of those provided, as in the appendix, are old techniques one could have learned in the 80's -- useful, but not new, and mostly for the intermediate skier.

Nonetheless, though not done with enough care and labor to become a classic, it is definitely useful for the skier aspiring to ski the big stuff.

I bought this book in 2008 I can also add to the excellent reviews that this book has had over the years and can still say that the fact remains in 2010 that the systems taught in this book really work as I am a self taught skier who was an experienced and reasonably accomplished Snowboarder to Backcountry level who decided to get on the Skis to improve All Mountain access. If you get yourself in a good state of physical conditioning and apply yourself to the teachings offered in this book you will definitely have the opportunity to Ski with confidence in all terrain all over the mountain. If you also have a chance to analyse some of the Free Ski videos on the market today you will notice that the skiers use the techniques offered in this book. Go buy it now!!

A very nice book with many good pictures. I would have preferred more explanation on landing jumps but other than that it encompassed many subjects that are otherwise not covered in most ski books. This book spends very little time on "how" to ski, but more on specific areas of concern. For someone who has skied for many years this is a very fun book to read.

Great book! I can't believe where those guys ski and they always look to control their skiing. Unbelievable photos. The content not extremely technique-oriented but still very useful and absolutely inspiring. Something in-between mountain novel and skiing manual.