Cross-Country Skiing

I've been a serious Nordic skier for about 20 years, getting out every possible weekend in the winter; serious, but sort of a permanent "upper intermediate". Along the way, I've collected many cross-country ski books and guides, from the 1960s to the present. Gillette and Dostal's has remained my favorite, and overall the most useful. It was issued by the Mountaineers press, and is better than the Mountaineers later effort. A good practical guide for the novice through intermediate, and if you have only one, this is the one to have.

Gillette died a horrendous death in the Hinda Kush. He left behind this book and one on a circumnavigation of Everest. This was the best book for nordic skiing up till about 1990, when the current telemark equipment evolution took the sport out of its nordic context into the realm of pure alpine skiing. For those who still are nostalgic for skiing on skinny skis, this book is still the best. For another classic, see Steve Barnett's Cross Country Downhill. For the latest on telemark skiing, read Paul Parker's book on Freeheel Skiing.

Too many manuals are written without a sense of humour, but this one doesn't suffer there. The authors write in a way as to appeal and interest across all levels. This book is useful for an XC skiier to help hone their skiing, and useful to loan to doubting friends to get them interested.

Ned Gillette was a talented and experienced xc skier -- he was on the US nordic team in the sixties and ran the xc center at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT in the 1980's. He also skied around the base of Mt. Everest and wrote a book about that as well, it is called Everest Grand Circle.