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Searching... Canton Public Library | 796.939 B | NEW BOOK LOCAL HOLDS | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
From Eric Blehm, the bestselling author of The Last Season and Fearless, comes an extraordinary new book in the vein of Into the Wild, the story of the legendary snowboarder Craig Kelly and his death in the 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche--a devastating and controversial tragedy that claimed the lives of seven people.
On January 20, 2003, a thunderous crack rang out and a 100-foot-wide tide of snow barreled down the Northern Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. More than a dozen skiers and snowboarders were thrust down the mountain, buried beneath several tons of rock-hard snow and ice in the Durrand Glacier Avalanche. A heroic search and rescue ensued. Among those buried was Craig Kelly--"the Michael Jordan of snowboarding"--a man who had propelled the sport into the mainstream before walking away from competitions, to rekindle his passion in the untamed alpine wilds of North America
The Darkest White is the story of Craig Kelly's life, a heartbreaking but extraordinary and inspiring odyssey of a latchkey kid whose athletic prowess and innovations would revolutionize winter sports, take him around the globe, and push him into ever more extreme environments that would ultimately take his life. It is also a definitive, immersive account of snowboarding and the cultural movement that exploded around it, growing the sport from minor Gen X cult hobby to Olympic centerpiece and a billion-dollar business full of feuds and rivalries. Finally, The Darkest White is a mesmerizing, cautionary portrait of the mountains, of the allure and the glory they offer, and of the avalanches they unleash with unforgiving fury.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Blehm (Fearless) charts in this comprehensive biography how snowboarding pioneer Craig Kelly (1966--2003) became the sport's "first true professional." Kelly grew up "a latchkey kid of divorced parents from small-town Mount Vernon, Washington," and began snowboarding in the early 1980s. His skill led to sponsorships, fans, and four world champion titles, but he stopped competing before snowboarding became an Olympic sport in 1998, preferring to board just "for the experience." In 2003, Kelly and six others died on Canada's Durrand Glacier during an avalanche, and Blehm goes to great lengths to recreate what happened. He hired Ruedi Beglinger, Kelly's guide on that fateful day, to take him on the mountains where Kelly died and persuaded the tight-lipped Beglinger and another guide to divulge details that shed new light on the tragedy. Such impressive reporting offers fresh insight into Kelly's final hours, and the author's empathetic portrayal of Kelly as a purist who "turned his back on business deals, high-dollar sponsorship contracts, and... prize money" to return to the "powdery backcountry that had first drawn him to his calling" will resonate even with those unfamiliar with his legacy. It's a stirring tribute to a talent gone too soon. (Feb.)This review has been updated to remove a spoiler.
Library Journal Review
Blehm's (Fearless) latest tells the true story of a celebrated legend in the snowboarding community. A latchkey kid who grew up in the small town of Mount Vernon, WA, Craig Kelly (1966--2003) sought adventure from a young age. He first found it by riding BMX bikes and competing against neighborhood kids. Then, he heard about snowboarding, a winter sport that was so new at the time that it didn't even have a name--some called it "snow surfing," and others "snurfing." Kelly was a natural, falling in love with the sport and the snowboarding community as he garnered sponsorships, adoring fans, and world championships. Always more interested in snowboarding than celebrity, he later left the professional circuit to explore the limits of the sport. Narrator Dan Bittner skillfully takes listeners through this sensitively drawn portrait of Kelly's life and death. Though listeners will know that Kelly lost his life on Canada's Durrand Glacier during an avalanche, Bittner's narration ratchets up the suspense and tension, making the tragedy seem all the more devastating. VERDICT A riveting story, laying bare the brutality of nature and the perseverance and passion of a gifted athlete.--Enica Davis
Table of Contents
Prologue | 1 |
Part I Competitor | |
Chapter 1 Roots | 9 |
Chapter 2 This Is the Year! | 23 |
Chapter 3 Mount Baker Hard Core | 30 |
Chapter 4 Team Rider | 41 |
Chapter 5 World Champion | 51 |
Chapter 6 Changing Teams | 63 |
Chapter 7 The Mystery Air | 70 |
Chapter 8 The Mouth Good | 78 |
Part II Freerider | |
Chapter 9 Wild Snow | 89 |
Chapter 10 Getting Schooled | 101 |
Chapter 11 Follow Your Bliss | 106 |
Chapter 12 The Plan | 115 |
Chapter 13 Breaking Down the Walls | 125 |
Chapter 14 Tailgunner | 137 |
Chapter 15 Checking All the Boxes | 154 |
Chapter 16 A Letter from the ACMG | 164 |
Chapter 17 Layers | 178 |
Chapter 18 The Dragon Stirred | 185 |
Part III Avalanche | |
Chapter 19 Welcome to Paradise | 201 |
Chapter 20 Selkirk Mountain Experience | 209 |
Chapter 21 The Human Factor | 219 |
Chapter 22 January 20, 2003 | 223 |
Chapter 23 There for the Storm | 228 |
Chapter 24 To Ski or Not to Ski | 236 |
Chapter 25 La Traviata | 244 |
Chapter 26 Up | 254 |
Chapter 27 We'll Be Fine | 260 |
Chapter 28 Mute Terror | 267 |
Chapter 29 Thirteen Down | 274 |
Chapter 30 Nobody on Standby | 285 |
Chapter 31 All but the Dead | 293 |
Chapter 32 Fly | 298 |
Part IV Legend | |
Chapter 33 The Aftermath and Memorial | 309 |
Epilogue | 319 |
A Note on Sources and Acknowledgments | 335 |