Books for the Skier in Your Life

Name: Skiing in Colorado
Brand: Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame
SKU: 9781467160551
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Specific mountains and ski towns have unique characters that exercise their spell on lovers of the downhill sport. Our books on famous ski towns and regions share the hidden history of skiing from its earliest runs and crude tow ropes to vivid resorts of today, in words and rare photos. These chronicles capture iconic locales from Tahoe and Squaw Valley out West, to the slopes of Vermont and New Hampshire back East. A perfect gift for the end of day when the boots are unbuckled and the fire is lit.

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North Carolina Ski Resorts

$24.99

New Hampshire on Skis

$24.99

Park City

$23.99

Ski Patrol in Colorado

$24.99

Skiing at Lake Tahoe

$24.99

Skiing in the Mad River Valley

$24.99

Skiing in the Catskill Region

$24.99

Skiing in Olympic National Park

$24.99

Skiing in Massachusetts

$24.99

Skiing in Southern California

$24.99

Skiing in Colorado

9781467160551

$24.99

Skiing in Colorado evolved from a transportation necessity to a world-class recreational pursuit. The first documented use of skis in Colorado occurred in the winter of 1859. As the popularity of the activity grew, ski resorts opened throughout the state. After World War II, Colorado saw a boom in the industry along with advancements in equipment, lifts, and safety; the development of ski schools; and the opening of new ski areas. This volume includes photographs from the Colorado Snowsports Museum that illustrate and celebrate the history of skiing in Colorado.

Skiing in New Mexico

9781467107020

$23.99

New Mexico's long and distinguished skiing history began with the miners of the late 19th century and its pioneer settlers. Ski area development was launched in the 1930s in the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque and quickly spread to the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains--the Sangre de Cristos, north of Santa Fe. Students of a boarding school, the Los Alamos Ranch School, took up the sport in the Jemez Mountains, and when the school was occupied in the 1940s by American and international scientists like Neils Bohr working to create the world's first atomic bomb, they enthusiastically pursued skiing in their rare spare time. Taos Ski Valley's founding in 1955 elevated the scene to world-class status, and today, there are eight major downhill ski areas and one cross-country center stretching from the deserts of south-central New Mexico to the Colorado border.

Evergreen

9781467126113

$29.99

Early settlers were drawn to the Evergreen area for its unsurpassed beauty and natural resources. Ranching and lumber were the initial basis for Evergreen's economy in the 1800s, and wealthy summer residents built prestigious second homes there. By 1920, Evergreen became a tourist mecca through development of the Denver Mountain Parks system and famed hotels, resorts, and dude ranches. From 1920 to 1942, Evergreen was the epicenter of outdoor recreation in Colorado. After World War II, a unique array of volunteer arts, nature, and charity organizations was created by Evergreen's people. A bohemian era in the 1960s and 1970s brought artists, musicians, and hippies, including Willie Nelson, to Evergreen. Explosive growth after completion of Interstate 70 led to development of new festivals and attractions, including the magnificent parks of the Jefferson County Open Space system. Evergreen still retains an atmosphere of the legendary Old West, from its boardwalk along Main Street to its annual Evergreen Rodeo and Rodeo Parade to its surviving area ranches.

Midwest Skiing

9780738501246

$24.99

The history of skiing in the Midwest closely parallels the history of the settling of the region. The Norwegians, Finns, and Swedes who emigrated to the Midwest brought with them this sport, one that began as necessary means of transportation in their native Scandinavian homelands. Whether it be the excitement of the cross country race, or the daring young men and women risking life and limb jumping the hills, skiing captured the imagination of the immigrants and locals alike. Together they formed local ski clubs and participated in competitions across the region throughout the long winter months, and many of these same daredevils showcased their talents to the world as members of US Olympic teams. Midwest Skiing: A Glance Back is a stunning visual history that allows us to look back not only on the early times and places, but the people who made this pastime into one of the most popular recreational and competitive sports.

Lake City

9781467102742

$24.99

Located 8,671 feet in the clouds, Lake City sits on the edge of the beautiful San Juan Mountains on Colorado's Western Slope. Between Lake City and Silverton, 28 miles away, are towering 14,000-foot mountains with three nearly 13,000-foot-high passes and scenery that takes one's breath away. Lake City began as a booming gold and silver camp, complete with a narrow-gauge railroad, 4,000 residents, a smelter, and rich investors looking for their "El Dorado." Today, the beautiful little town, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, is a haven for the many tourists who come to hike, ski, fish, climb, and relax in the quaint "Shangri-La of Colorado."

New England Skiing

9780738537382

$24.99

Skiing in New England has not always been such a breathtaking sport connected with winter vacations at distant and local resorts. From the early 1870s, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish immigrants utilized skis to carry the mail and to travel through the woods to school and work. Later, a group of college men at Dartmouth founded the Outing Club, which transformed skiing from everyday practicality into swift-moving recreation. Since that time, the excitement and exhilaration of skiing has spread nationwide. In this volume, we will explore the history of skiing in this region, from its early, simpler days of cross-country and jumping to the rising popularity of alpine skiing beginning in the 1930s. Rather than a technical history, this book concentrates on presenting a story that is fluid like the sport itself, focusing on places, personalities, and major innovations between the early 1870s and 1940.

North Carolina Ski Resorts

9781467122566

$24.99

During the early 1960s, local leaders in western and northwestern
North Carolina were dedicated to developing winter recreational opportunities in the mountains. North Carolina's ski industry dates back to the winter of 1961-1962, when the Cataloochee resort in Maggie Valley developed the first ski slope in the state. Once thought impossible to make snow south of the Mason-Dixon Line, technological innovations in snowmaking allowed several other resorts to develop through the 1970s, including Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Wolf Ridge, and Ski Sapphire Valley, all of which still operate today. Images of smaller ski areas, such as Hound Ears, Seven Devils, and Mill Ridge, are featured to honor these now defunct clubs. Many of the present-day resorts have incorporated snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice-skating, and snow tubing, along with mountain biking trails for summer recreation on the slopes. North Carolina Ski Resorts showcases the rich recreational history of western and northwestern North Carolina.

New Hampshire on Skis

9780738511351

$24.99

The state of New Hampshire has a strong skiing tradition to brag about, and in the 1930s, it led the United States in ski activity. The early prominence of Dartmouth College's Outing Club and winter carnival was a major forerunner in the development of the sport and readied the state to receive the alpine impetus coming from Europe in the 1930s. Germans and particularly Austrians-some fleeing Nazi persecution-brought with them the expert downhill schuss and found the White Mountains suitable terrain. Rail excursions from Boston, well-plowed roads, help from the Civilian Conservation Corps, and entrepreneurial activity helped skiing take off, and many ski centers boasting rope tows opened.

New Hampshire on Skis follows this development and the rise in popularity of skiing in the state. Such innovations as the Cannon Tram, operating from 1938, marked a high point of state-supported ski promotion. After World War II ended, development of ski areas began in earnest. In the late twentieth century and today, ski areas have combined their ski sport activity with other snow sports-snowboarding in particular. New Hampshire on Skis documents the growth of the ski industry in New Hampshire from its European beginnings to what is now one of the most popular winter destinations on the East Coast.

Park City

9781467108423

$23.99

Settled by miners and Mormons after the Civil War and incorporated in 1884, Park City grew into one of the world's most prestigious mining camps.

Known primarily for its richness in silver, Park City miners also extracted lead, zinc, gold, and copper from the surrounding hills. With the town and its mines located at over 7,000 feet above sea level, miners faced brutal winters to unleash treasure for the nation. As the mines grew, so too did the town, attracting businesspeople, grocers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and more to the area, in addition to miners and prospectors seeking to strike it rich. While most miners faced tough lives and died young, some did create legacies beyond their wildest dreams. Park City made many a millionaire, including David Keith, Thomas Kearns, R.C. Chambers, John Judge, John Daly, and Suzanne Bransford Emery Holmes Delitch Engalitcheff (also known as the "Silver Queen"). From mines large (like the Silver King and the Ontario) to small (like the Nelson Queen), Park City's early history is that of the triumphs and tragedies of mining, the ebbs and flows of the community, and the metals that made it all happen.

Dalton Gackle is the research, digital services, and social media coordinator at the Park City Museum (Park City, Utah). An American West and pop culture historian by way of the Midwest, Gackle manages the Park City Museum's Hal Compton Research Library.

Ski Patrol in Colorado

9781467102513

$24.99

The Army's 10th Mountain Division, developed during World War II for combat missions in the mountains of northern Italy, evolved into ski patrols as we know them today. Far-reaching and nuanced, the job of a ski patroller combines long days, physically demanding work in high alpine environments, and the ability to respond to complex medical emergencies. In Colorado, ski patrol has grown from a volunteer operation to a professional workforce--incorporating advancements in lifesaving techniques, avalanche forecasting, and specialized guest services. Relying heavily on their fellow patrollers, life-long friendships are forged on the mountain and often embellished in legendary tales--many of which are shared within.

Skiing at Lake Tahoe

9780738589060

$24.99

Organized ski racing in America started near Lake Tahoe in the 1860s when gold miners rode 15-foot boards that reached speeds near 100 miles per hour. By 1895, residents of Truckee had started the nation's first winter carnival west of the Rocky Mountains and soon built the largest ski jump in California. Today's Lake Tahoe, with significant annual snowfall, has become home to the largest concentration of ski resorts on the continent. Places like Mount Rose, Squaw Valley (home of the 1960 Winter Olympics), Sugar Bowl, Heavenly Valley, Homewood, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, Diamond Peak, Donner Ski Ranch, Granlibakken, and Northstar-at-Tahoe have seen skiing styles, sports, and fashions churn through the decades, while now gone resorts, such as Edelweiss and White Hills Ski Resort, echo the memories of yesterday's skiers through the pines.

Skiing in the Mad River Valley

9780738573656

$24.99

In 1948, the first skiers to experience the steep and twisting downhill trails of Mad River Glen had to traverse muddy or frozen dirt roads to get to their destination. The warmth of a country inn was a comfort on those cold winter nights and continues as a hallmark of the Mad River Valley today. Even with the condo boom that developed after the opening of Sugarbush on Christmas Day in 1958, little has upset the ambience of the 20-mile-long valley. The valley developed a distinct personality, attracting "ski bums" who exchanged urban pressures for a laid-back lifestyle that continues today.

Skiing in the Catskill Region

9781467120548

$24.99

Arriving by train to Phoenicia, New York, in the mid-1930s, downhill skiers first discovered the snowy trails of Simpson Ski Slope. Soon after, many Borscht Belt hotels were offering skiing and skating as ways to fill rooms during cold winter months when crowds thinned. In the high central Catskills, where abundant snowfall was a big draw, many abandoned rooming houses were commandeered to serve as base lodges for fledgling ski areas. In addition to farming and logging, skiing became an important industry to the area. People found steady employment in dozens of new areas sprouting all over the mountains. Downhill skiing is just part of the region's history. Ski jumping, racing, ski clubs, fashion, and colorful personalities were all part of the experience.

Skiing in Olympic National Park

9781467132480

$24.99

With its glaciated peaks, temperate rain forests, and ocean wilderness, Olympic National Park has been called three parks in one. Efforts to protect and preserve these treasures began with the creation of a federal reserve in 1897, followed by a national monument in 1909, and then Olympic National Park in 1938. The 1920s and 1930s saw the building of many trails, shelters, and roads. In 1934, the US Forest Service completed a primitive road to the summit of Blue Mountain, affording skiing at Deer Park, and in 1957, the National Park Service completed an improved road to Hurricane Ridge. These two areas have offered alpine (lift-assisted) skiing to several generations. While these roads remain today, the recognition of the value of preserved wilderness has stopped road construction. In 1988, most of the park became federally designated wilderness. In 1981, Olympic National Park was designated a World Heritage Site.

Skiing in Massachusetts

9780738545790

$24.99

In 1910, the Boston Sunday Herald reported that skiers were swarming over the Newtons, Middlesex Falls, and Blue Hills. The Berkshires provided splendid terrain, and the skiing was inexpensive. This visual history traces how skiing progressed from the pre-tow era of outings on wooded trails and golf courses to the mechanization of the sport. After World War II came massive building, with sophisticated lifts, snowmaking, and all the modern requirements that have kept Massachusetts one of America's winter ski states.

Skiing in Southern California

9780738555683

$24.99

Known for its sunshine and sandy beaches filled with bathing beauties and musclemen, Southern California is a Mediterranean-climate haven for winter-weary Americans from Michigan to Maine. But for those with a hankering for winter sports, one could scarcely ignore the snowcapped peaks of Mount Baldy and San Gorgonio shimmering in the bright California sunshine. By the 1930s, skiing was all the rage, with the towns of Big Pines, Lake Arrowhead, and Big Bear Lake evolving into popular snow-sport locales. Southern California was also home to many who made their mark in the world of American skiing: Walter Mosauer, the father of skiing in Southern California; Tyler Van Degrift, owner of Los Angeles's first ski shop; Clarita Heath Bright, talented member of the first U.S. Women's Olympic ski team; Dorothy McClung Wullich, first woman member of the National Ski Patrol; and Sepp Benedikter and Tommi Tyndall, both leading the way with ski schools and instruction. These and many others are documented here in this collection of rare and vintage images of Southern California skiing.