On-line book: Written in the Snows

[Lowell_Skoog]

 

Written in the Snows

Across Time on Skis in the Pacific Northwest

 

"The Ski Climbers"

 

A decade ago I began researching the history of backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering in Washington. Several detours occurred along the way and to date I've spent 5000+ hours working on this project.

 

When I started my research I hoped the result would be a published paper book. I still plan to finish the book, but for now I've given up the paper part of it.

 

I've written my first chapter of the book and published it on line. This will ultimately be Chapter 4 (or so) in the finished story. It's called "The Ski Climbers." It describes an iconic period in Northwest skiing, the years between 1928 and 1948 when pioneering ski ascents and descents were made on Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Hood.

 

You can find this new chapter on the website devoted to the book:

 

http://written-in-the-snows.net/

 

Ultimately, the book will have about a dozen chapters. "The Ski Climbers" shows the sort of coverage I hope to provide for the 100-year history of backcountry skiing in Washington. Publishing on line will enable me to include more stories, more pictures, and more diverse media than a traditional book could do. "The Ski Climbers" contains movies, and future chapters may include other multi-media material.

 

Publishing on-line will also enable me to add new information, make corrections, and publish something before I reach retirement age. I'm excited about this approach. I hope you enjoy the first chapter.

 

[billcoe]

A quick glance shows some real nice work Lowell.

[pms]

I am getting much enjoyment reading this, and the large pictures great.

[Ducknut]

Lowell, nice job getting the stories, pictures and film clips pulled together. Its a great read and fun to see the early newspaper clippings and film. I am glad you are doing this on-line so we can see the rich history of all types of media. Thanks for your dedication.

[Sol]

WOW!

 

Very cool and very inspiring to read about these historic ascents.

[Weekend_Climberz]

That's some wonderful stuff. Just what I needed. Bring on the snow.

[JoshK]

This is awesome, Lowell! Truly great work...

[Lowell_Skoog]

 

Written in the Snows

Across Time on Skis in the Pacific Northwest

 

I've completed another chapter of my on-line history of Northwest skiing:

 

"A Far White Country"

 

My previous chapter ("The Ski Climbers") dealt with events between about 1928 and 1948. In this chapter, I've jumped back to the beginning, roughly the years between 1890 and 1920. This chapter describes how skis first came to Washington's mountains, how the railroads made winter recreation possible in the Northwest, and who the first skiers were. I expect to insert another chapter between this one and "The Ski Climbers" as I continue my work.

 

You can find the new chapter on the website devoted to the book:

 

http://written-in-the-snows.net/

 

I hope you enjoy "A Far White Country."

 

[olyclimber]

Thanks Lowell!

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Thanks Lowell! I had it on my list and finally read the first chapter a couple weeks ago. Great work and a fascinating read. I especially liked this bit following the near disastrous first descent of Mt. St. Helens:

 

"The men finally found each other and rejoined their girl friends who had been waiting at the bottom of the mountain during their climb. With six bottles of homemade beer, they drove to Cannon Beach in Oregon for a night swim in the ocean. “Ha! Marvelous,” recalled Giese. “That was quite a day, quite a day!”"

 

I look forward to reading the new chapter!