Hanover Square Press
Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns and the Future of Chasing Snow
Key Metrics
- Heather Hansman
- Hanover Square Press
- Audio
- 9781665104876
- -
- -
- Sports & Recreation > Winter Sports - Skiing
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America's most preeminent ski journalists
The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division in World War I, the sport took hold across the country, driven by adventurers seeking the rush of freedom that only cold mountain air could provide. As skiing gained in popularity, mom-and-pop backcountry hills gave way to groomed trails and eventually the megaresorts of today. Along the way, the pioneers and diehards--the ski bums--remained the beating heart of the scene.
Veteran ski journalist and former ski bum Heather Hansman takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the hidden history of American skiing, offering a glimpse into an underexplored subculture from the perspective of a true insider. Hopping from Vermont to Colorado, Montana to Virginia, Hansman profiles the people who have built their lives around a cold-weather obsession. Along the way she reckons with skiing's problematic elements and investigates how the sport is evolving in the face of the existential threat of climate change.
Riveting, action-packed and beautifully written, Powder Days is a love letter to a high-stakes sport and the definitive tome for ski lovers everywhere.
Author Bio
I'm a freelance writer and editor. I write about a range of things, from butchers to birth control, but, to generalize, most of what I cover happens outside. I like the intersection of science, adventure, and culture. I'm the environmental columnist for Outside online, and I write for places like The Guardian, Sierra, and The New York Times.
My next book "Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow" will be released in November of 2021. It's about the fantasy of living the ski bum dream, and why it's not always as dreamy as it seems. You can pre-order it here or tell your local bookstore about it.
My first book "Downriver: into the Future of Water in the West" about my trip down the length of the Green River, and the water system in the Western U.S., was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2019. You can order it here or anywhere you buy books. And you can listen to me talk about it here, here, and here.
I've been recognized for both my writing and my social (media) skills. My essay "Lighthouse for Sale" was a notable in the "2015 Best American Essays" book, I won the 2010 Thompson Award for Western Writing for my story about declining livestock prices, "The Cost of Sheep," and the "Ski Town Throwdown," a Facebook campaign I ran at Powder, won a 2013 Maggie for best use of social media.
I live on a lake in Seattle but I still have East Coast reflexes.
Source: heatherhansman.com
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