50 Classic Ski Descents of North America

About the book

Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America is a large-format showcase of the continent’s most iconic ski mountaineering descents, from Alaska to New Hampshire. Created by ski mountaineers Chris Davenport, Art Burrows, and Penn Newhard, it is a stunning coffee-table book, but more than that, it is a treasure trove of ski mountaineering wisdom.  It taps deep into local skier’s knowledge. Contributors include Jimmy Chin, Lou Dawson, Andrew McLean, Glen Plake, Lowell Skoog, Chic Scott, and Ptor Spricenieks. These experts give first-person descriptions of their favorite ski descents and insightful perspectives on ski mountaineering past, present, and future.

Whether you are planning an expedition to Baffin Island to ski the Polar Star Couloir or heading out for dawn patrol on Mount Superior in Utah’s Wasatch Range, or just wish you were going to one of those places, Fifty Classic Ski Descents is a visual feast of ski mountaineering in North America.

• 208 pages of gorgeous action and mountain images from some of North America’s top photographers

• 11 x 11 inches of hardbound goodness, great for the coffee table explorer

• famous peaks including North Maroon Bell, the Grand Teton, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Robson, Mt. St. Elias, and Denali

• conversations with great ski alpinists

• the perfect gift for any serious skier

A challenge

50 Classic Ski Descents was inspired by a similarly themed climbing book, 50 Classic Climbs in North America, by Allen Steck and Steve Roper. Attempts have been made by individuals to climb those 50 Classics, but no one has yet been successful. As in the climbing book, the lines in 50 Classic Ski Descents were chosen for their combination of history, notoriety, purity and beauty of line, the status of the peak or formation — and their general membership in the “this is what I’d like to climb / ski before I die” club. Bucket-list stuff, some accessible and moderate, some ambitious, plus a few ringers thrown in for which only the very skilled need apply. Enter Cody Townsend, who sets out to ski them all, documented in a project called “The Fifty”. He’s attempting to complete his mission in as few seasons as possible, enlisting his trusted partner Bjarne Salen to video the endeavor. Let the record show that another contender has the same goal, but Cody’s our man, and we regularly check his YouTube channel for his latest — always replete with stunning mountain scenery, a fun cast of local characters from each new descent, and some great, gritty, hardcore ski footage. Check out this video for a great introduction to his project and the ski descents in the book.

Please note that including this coffee table book in your order will raise the flat rate shipping fee to $9.99 for USPS ground mail and $17.99 for USPS priority mail.