Ski Camping : A Guide to the Delights of Back-Country Skiing

Ski Camping is a beautifully photographed book covering camping and skiing in the backcountry. Topics covered include planning, equipment, clothing, food, trail techniques, skiing techniques, snow camping, winter shelters, route finding and winter hazards. It has become a classic outdoor instructional book and is one of the most well received skiing books ever published.

From the Preface . . .

It's hard to shake the impulse. If you've been a skier for a while, you know what I mean. There's something out there, something in the pattern of the snow and in the quiet winds of the winter which invite you to reach beyond crowds and groomed trails and boundary signs.

It is that impulse to go farther, to ski across untracked snow into the backcountry, to climb atop a high ridge, to travel to a wilderness winter hut or to camp out in the snow that is at the heart of this book.

Winter traveling and camping in the backcountry is often perceived as a mystery which deters many. But there is no mystery. Like any outdoor pursuit, it's a matter of learning about the right clothing and equipment and gradually building experience and technique. This book was written and photographed to help you do just that--a road map, if you will, to help you follow impulses.

Early on, the call of the winter outback caught my fancy and has changed my life. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have backcountry ski trips to look forward to each winter: the exhilaration of movement through snow, the companionship of friends, and the unequaled gallery of winter landscape. In some small way, I hope that this book will help you enjoy the same kind of freedom and excitement that I found.

But before you take off, one last note--be careful, use common sense. Slowly hone your skills. Turn back if the weather worsens or if a slope looks unstable. Develop a sixth sense and trust your conservative inclinations.