How the Racers Ski

I read this book on the advice of a fellow ski journeyman (now renowned Aspen Mountain Ski Instructor, Paul Wade) in the mid 70's as an instructor at Sugarbush, Vt. I've been skiing all my life and this book almost single handedly - along with Paul's advice - changed my skiing forever delivering me to the 'next level' ... the magic "it" where the "there" is. Witherall's clear and concise writing took me from an excellent skier [albeit sliding, sometimes carved turns] to an expert, consistently on the ski's edge with beautiful ripped and carved turns. Even with shorter, phatter skiis of 2004, Witherall's writing is still current and uniquely relevant, if not even more so because skiis have gotten so much better as described by Witherall [maybe even predicted? where yesterday's term "sidecut" means the same as today's "parabolic"] ...If you understand how skiis work, and Witherall documents this, you'll understand even more how phat, tapered waist, i.e parabolic, skiis will help you, partner with you, to carve perfect turns. I hear this book has been controversial, that not everyone agree's with Witherall [in Western US ski teaching camps with softer snow conditions, there's more emphasis on equal weighting and "sliding" your skis], but until otherwise advised, this book has no equal for learning how skiis work and how to carve and rip through harder packed, iced, Eastern US ski conditions. It will take you to a rad, bad and oh so fine expert level wherever you ski, however freestyle you go.

I read this book on the advice of a fellow ski journeyman (now renowned Aspen Mountain Ski Instructor, Paul Wade) in the mid 70's as an instructor at Sugarbush, Vt. I've been skiing all my life and this book almost single handedly - along with Paul's advice - changed my skiing forever delivering me to the 'next level' ... the magic "it" where the "there" is. Witherall's clear and concise writing took me from an excellent skier [albeit sliding, sometimes carved turns] to an expert, consistently on the ski's edge with beautiful ripped and carved turns. Even with shorter, phatter skiis of 2004, Witherall's writing is still current and uniquely relevant, if not even more so because skiis have gotten so much better as described by Witherall [maybe even predicted? where yesterday's term "sidecut" means the same as today's "parabolic"] ...If you understand how skiis work, and Witherall documents this, you'll understand even more how phat, tapered waist, i.e parabolic, skiis will help you, partner with you, to carve perfect turns. I hear this book has been controversial, that not everyone agree's with Witherall [in Western US ski teaching camps with softer snow conditions, there's more emphasis on equal weighting and "sliding" your skis], but until otherwise advised, this book has no equal for learning how skiis work and how to carve and rip through harder packed, iced, Eastern US ski conditions. It will take you to a rad, bad and oh so fine expert level wherever you ski, however freestyle you go.