Two Planks and a Passion: The Dramatic History of Skiing

By Roland Huntford

Book Overview

Roland Huntford's brilliant history begins 20,000 years ago in the last ice age on the icy tundra of an unformed earth. Man is a travelling animal, and on these icy slopes skiing began as a means of survival. That it has developed into the leisure and sporting pursuit of choice by so much of the globe bears testament to its elemental appeal. In polar exploration, it has changed the course of history. Elsewhere, in war and peace, it has done so too. The origins of skiing are bound up in with the emergence of modern man and the world we live in today.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1847252362
• ISBN13: 9781847252364
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 456 Pages
• Weight: 1.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive skiing history

As in all Roland Huntford’s books, he uses many original sources and doesn’t depend on translations. Illustrations could be better coordinated with the text. He does an admirable job detailing the development of technique and equipment, as well as publicity and popularization of the sport, pointing out some of the world politics that influenced the sport’s development, all in a readable style and investing early contributors to skiing with inklings into their personalities.