Customer Reviews

The Story of Modern Skiing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

This book is perfect for the person who loves history and skiing. I think it would be a little dry for the average reader. Personally, I enjoyed reading about where skiing has come from, and it made me so glad to be a modern day skier after reading about what the 1920's skiers endured for the sport.

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!

John Fry has done a wonderful job of covering the history of skiing in the United States. As an enthusiast who has been skiing for 60 years, I enjoyed reliving the details of the evolution of my favorite sport. The book is comprehensive and yet fascinating in every chapter. Books like this can sometimes be overly detailed with stories that are not all that interesting or relevant but this is not one of them. It is a great read that is hard to put down!

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.

With ski icon John Fry as author and with a delicious poster art "cover" of spectacular ski slopes, any thoroughbred skier will find this book a gem - a fascinating 50 year chronicle of the development of the sport- its ups and downs and inside scoops. You'll feel nostalgic as you read this detailed account and thank John Fry who gives us such a unique, well researched and educated schuss down memory lane. A must for your library!

Sandra Heath

Stowe, Vermont

An exceptionally well-written encyclopedic account that not only becomes the standard in its field, but sets the standard for future historians of any sporting endeavor. Fry's superb book covers the explosive growth of both recreational and competitive skiing with the sharp eye of the veteran insider for telling detail, ranging from the wholesome outdoors to the hedonistic indoors of apres ski.

The story told here encompasses (mostly) the development of skiing and its related aspects from the World War II era onward. Needless to say a broader time frame is possible, but this allows the author to catalog a more intense development era in greater detail. And he does this effectively. Many folks who visit the modern day resorts probably figure this was all invented just 10 years ago. But the commitment of early industry visionaries determined to build a sport, often with tenuous financial resources, is fascinating. It could easily have never come to pass if all the variables didn't fall into place--pioneering spirit, pursuit of dreams, a robust post-war economy and sense of well-being, etc. But it obviously worked--at least during the growth/boom years. Now the industry is more populated by bean-counters and the original personalities who were responsible for the success have died off, leaving what is left as mere business model to perpetuate as opposed to the wonderful enthusiasm as delivered by the originators (at least in large measure). But interesting nonetheless if skiing and the winter sports environment are of interest in your life.