P3: Pipes, Parks, and Powder - Hardcover

Richards, Todd; Blehm, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060560401 ISBN 13: 9780060560409

Publisher: HarperEntertainment, 2003

Synopsis

One of the most charismatic, popular and talented snowboarders in the world, Todd Richards, tells the story of his life as a skateboarder–turned–world–class–snowboarder, and of the sport that in less than 10 years has gone from underground to the forefront of the Olympics.

In the late 1980s, snowboarders were seen by skiers as skate–punks and 'knuckle–draggers' but in just a few years the sport rapidly gained popularity in ski areas and resorts. By 1994 snowboarding was an exhibition sport at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer; since then it has become one of the most popular sports in the Olympics. Todd Richards was there through it all and, as he tells his story, he shares the history of his sport.

Todd Richards is one of the biggest names in pro snowboarding. Now his image is on PlayStation games, plastic toys and countless magazines. He's won world championships and X Games medals. Known for his wit, work ethic, and front side 900, Todd has helped bring snowboarding out of obscurity and into the limelight. The sport continues to gain momentum through growing media coverage, and no professional embodies the image and attitude of snowboarding better than Todd Richards.

About this title

About the Authors

Todd Richards continues to compete in and win the world's most prestigious snowboarding competitions and is currently producing his second trick-tips video. He makes frequent television appearances but is avoiding a commentator job for as long as possible -- at least until he lands a major role in a future Star Wars movie. He lives with his wife and son in Encinitas, California, and Breckenridge, Colorado.

Eric Blehm is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestsellers Fearless (soon to be a major motion picture) and The Only Thing Worth Dying For. His book The Last Season won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award and was named by Outside magazine as one of the “greatest adventure biographies ever written.”

From the Back Cover

One of the most charismatic, popular and talented snowboarders in the world, Todd Richards, tells the story of his life as a skateboarder–turned–world–class–snowboarder, and of the sport that in less than 10 years has gone from underground to the forefront of the Olympics.

In the late 1980s, snowboarders were seen by skiers as skate–punks and 'knuckle–draggers' but in just a few years the sport rapidly gained popularity in ski areas and resorts. By 1994 snowboarding was an exhibition sport at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer; since then it has become one of the most popular sports in the Olympics. Todd Richards was there through it all and, as he tells his story, he shares the history of his sport.

Todd Richards is one of the biggest names in pro snowboarding. Now his image is on PlayStation games, plastic toys and countless magazines. He's won world championships and X Games medals. Known for his wit, work ethic, and front side 900, Todd has helped bring snowboarding out of obscurity and into the limelight. The sport continues to gain momentum through growing media coverage, and no professional embodies the image and attitude of snowboarding better than Todd Richards.

Reviews

Richards is a world-class snowboarder, one of the sport's superstars, an Olympic contender, inspiration for a video game, and subject of numerous magazine articles. This is his autobiography, written (with coauthor Blehm) for readers familiar with the sport and its lingo (the uninitiated might find the whole thing a little perplexing). It's the story of a young man who comes to a sport in its infancy, who grows up as the sport is catapulted onto the world stage, and who, in fact, helps turn it from a pastime into a sport. If it were just about Richards, the book would seem drastically thin and rather self-absorbed. But, because it also chronicles the growth of snowboarding from skiing alternative to Olympic event, it has value for those interested in the history of winter sports. Ignore the book's oft-tedious then-I-did structure and concentrate on the bigger story of how a new sport graduates to the mainstream. A niche book, certainly, but just the thing for snowboarding fans. David Pitt
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Edition details

• Publisher: HarperEntertainment
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060560401
• ISBN 13: 9780060560409
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304