Catching the Sky

A transcendent story about risk and the pursuit of happiness, family, and the bond between brothers.

Dust and prairie were abundant on the Texas Panhandle, the land that gave birth to generations of Moores. But instead of working the landor the cattle that fed upon it, the Moore brothers, Colten and Caleb, heeded another call.

Their dreams, paired with hard work and family sacrifice, eventually became reality. The Moore brothers, with their boundary-exploding athleticism, innovation and appetite for risk, became stars on the burgeoning freestyle ATV and snowmobile circuits. If it had wheels, they could flip it—often higher and better than anyone else—leading a band of pioneers intent on breaking new ground and in a new sport before multitudes of fans at the X Games and beyond.

In this vivid, page-turning narrative, Colten Moore offers a profound and deeply moving perspective on his life and that of his brother. Catching the Sky is a clear-eyed look at extreme sports, what drives people to take wild chances, and how one man, Colten, couldn't stop even after the worst possible outcome. His story reminds us that we can dream—and sometimes achieve the impossible, that we can follow our own path, that we can lose something, lose everything, only to find it again—often in the most unlikely place.

Colten Moore is a six-time X Games medalist and a pioneer in the world of extreme sports. He has competed and performed around the world but will always consider his native Texas home. He lives in suburban Dallas.

Keith O’Brien is an award-winning journalist. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times Magazine, Slate, and on NPR. He is the author of Outside Shot, a book chronicling the power and meaning of basketball in rural Kentucky.