The Story of Modern Skiing (Hardcover)

by John Fry (Author)
Key Phrases: alpine gold medals, ski magazine, national standard race, World Cup, United States, Winter Games (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Fry notes that the direct work of his book consumed four years. The greater truth is that it is the result of more personal research spanning a lifetime, a degree of comprehension that comes only from having been there."--Skiing Heritage

"It's impressive how much Fry actually does pack into a volume that would fit in a skier's backpack along with a couple of sandwiches. Modern Skiing is full of helpful timelines, appendices and glossaries, along with ski trivia." --Seven Days, Burlington, VT

"John Fry . . . has written a thorough and entertaining history of the sport's growth. Fry skillfully and vividly touches on what seems to be every aspect of skiing's growth." --Vermont Life

"Fry takes you through the advent of lifts and snowmaking, the glory days of freestyle, the ups and downs of ski racing, and what skiing has meant to life, the environment and the ecomony. Fry's love and deep understanding of the sport comes through page after page, and one picks up the book feeling like they're joining in a great conversation with a ski friend."--Boston Herald

Review
"John Fry takes you behind the scenes of the sport of skiing, from the first 25 cents-a-day rope tow to the 72-dollar-a-day lift ticket at today's mega-resorts. Fry has been there and written about how and why it all happened. His observations are a must-read book for anyone who has ever been on a pair of skis or a snowboard." (Warren Miller, skiing's foremost filmmaker )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 380 pages
• Publisher: UPNE (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584654899
• ISBN-13: 978-1584654896
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #437,259 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #75 in

  Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Skiing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Fry's Best Publication, April 2, 2007

By	D. Brain "Slope Seeker" (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most comprehensive review of winter sports, especially Skiing that has been published in years. His first hand observations and knowledge have given a rarely found "life" to the many aspects that have contributed to this mega sport. From the hills of Europe where skiing was second nature to the Western world where it is a year round sport drawing a diverse group of people to share in the thrill of being propelled on snow, John has captured it all. Congratulations, this book is a collectors must have.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like to ski (and read), you'll love this book!, December 14, 2006

By	Thomas A. Corcoran "Tom Corcoran" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are a skier with at least a modicum of curiosity about how the sport you are passionate about evolved and mushroomed, and who the players were along the way, this is a book that tells the whole story, how all the parts fit together, and it reads so well and so easily that at times it seems like a novel, and you wonder what happens next. But the author, John Fry, clearly knows his subject very well and has done his research meticulously, with annotated notes for every chapter, a glossary, bibliography, index of names & places, maps, record charts, etc. Skiing is a fun sport, and Fry makes it a comparable pleasure to read about modern skiing's fascinating history. Skiers, it's a great read!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a gold medal book, December 14, 2006

By	Stephen Wells "Steve" (greenwich, ct) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is just a great book about the world of skiing. John Fry combines a complete knowledge of skiing with a terrific writing style that makes every page a joy to read.