The Winter Olympics: An Insider's Guide to the Legends, Lore and Events of the Games Vancouver Edition [Paperback]

Ron C. Judd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2009

A keepsake-cum-guidebook to the magic of Vancouver's Winter Games--coming soon in February 2010!

Combining the lore and magic of the Winter Games with profiles of the individual sports, author Ron Judd has created the ultimate insider's guide to complement the Olympic games coming in 2010.

From alpine skiing and figure skating to luge and curling, Judd devotes a chapter to each competitive sport, examining its history, key competitors in past Olympics, the newest athlete contenders, how the sport is played and judged, and more. Anecdotes and fun facts about the Winter Olympics give the reader a true sense of being at the games. And for readers who want to hit the slopes or rinks of British Columbia, Judd includes a round-up on outfitters and access to the Olympic venues. The Winter Olympics also includes a chapter on the Paralympic Winter Games.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

RON C. JUDD, a longtime popular columnist at The Seattle Times, is the author of a variety of outdoor books, including The Blue Tarp Bible. He writes the weekly "Trail Mix" column, which focuses on life in the great outdoors, and "The Wrap by Ron Judd," a humorous take on the week's news. A Washington native, Judd is also known for his daily dispatches from every Summer and Winter Olympic Games since Nagano, Japan, in 1998. He lives in Bellingham, Washington. * A sport-by-sport guide to the athletes, events, and Vancouver-Whistler venues * Features behind-the-scenes stories, legendary moments, and full-color photography * Author is a veteran writer on Olympic competition and will have first-hand reporting at the 2010 games

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (February 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594850631
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850639
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #475,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > Olympic Games

More About the Author

Ron C. Judd, a longtime popular columnist for The Seattle Times, is the author of a broad range of nonfiction books, from works of humor to outdoor guides to a comprehensive guide to the Winter Olympics. One of the few (it seems) surviving natives of Washington state, he has worked as a journalist for 25 years, along the way becoming one of the world's foremost authorites on the uses (and abuses) of big blue tarps. His latest work, "The Winter Olympics" gives readers a rare and refreshing look inside the Olympic Games, one of the world's great events. He lives with his wife, Meri-Jo, in Bellingham, Wash.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Winter Read, November 18, 2009

By 

Bode Weller (On a mountaintop) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Olympics: An Insider's Guide to the Legends, Lore and Events of the Games Vancouver Edition (Paperback)

Those lucky enough to live in and around Seattle have enjoyed the wit and wry humor of Seattle Times columnist Ron C. Judd for years. He has brought the full force of his writing talent to his latest book, an historical, personal and journalistic look at the Winter Olympics. The book is out just in time for the Vancouver Games, which will begin Feb. 12 in British Columbia. Anyone planning to attend should pack this book, which also features a collection of Judd's previous Olympic columns from the Seattle Times.

Ron covers all the basics and helps explain the ins and outs of the Winter Games. Some of these sports are, how to put it?, arcane to the American taste buds. But Judd has made even the most extrinsic accessible through compelling writing. You will learn about long forgotten historical anecdotes that bring the Winter Games to life; the book will broaden your understanding of what's taking place whether you're on site or watching on TV or the Internet.

The book is buttressed by beautiful photos from Dean Rutz, who is considered one of the top newspaper Olympic photojournalists. Rutz is a colleague of Judd at the Seattle Times where they have collaborated for the past 10 years to bring Pacific Northwest readers as good Olympic coverage as anywhere in the country.

Even if you're not a huge winter sports fan the book is worth a read simply because of its lyrical quality.

It might be cold outside, but you'll feel warm and fuzzy while turning the pages and ski jumping into the world of the Winter Games.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insider's guide to the Winter Games, December 20, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Olympics: An Insider's Guide to the Legends, Lore and Events of the Games Vancouver Edition (Paperback)

THE WINTER OLYMPICS: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO THE LEGENDS, THE LORE AND THE GAMES provides an insider's guide to the Winter Games, blending anecdotes and reporting with biographies of athletes and their achievements, profiles of individual sports, and discussions of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Highlights form all previous Winter Games accompany stories and discussions of history and events in this recommendation for any sports collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not about the 2010 games, October 6, 2010

By 

Mary Beth Conlee - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Winter Olympics: An Insider's Guide to the Legends, Lore and Events of the Games Vancouver Edition (Paperback)

The book is fine, but it's a general overview of winter Games, not a highlight of the 2010 Vancouver games. It was written before the games, and only tells a little of the plans. The title is misleading.