Winter Sports Books

Set in Holland during the wintry 1860's this children's classic has proven a literary staple for generations. American author Mary Mapes
Dodge revels in introducing English-speaking readers to the charm of
the Netherlands--while displaying her knowledge of its art, customs and proud history. In this land of tulips, storks and windmills the people wage a relentless war and exercise constant vigilance against the encroachment of the sea, which is above the level of the land. Despite quaint customs and folksy costumes the characters remain alive almost a century and a half later, thanks to human attributes which are universally recognized: family values, responsibility, love, friendship, dedication to a common cause, patriotism, generosity, honesty, compassion for those less fortunate.

The Brinker family barely survives on the fringe of society ion a
humble hut--known locally as the idiot's cottage. Ten years earlier, Raff, the father, fell off a dike, suffering severe brain damage. A danger both to himself and to others he has caused no end of heartache and despair to his harassed wife, who struggles to raise two young children in poverty. As the story opens 15-year-old Hans, now the substitute man of the house, is a remarkable and honest teenager, trying to pursue studies on his own. His 12-year-old sister, Gretel, has never known her father in his right mind, though she bravely tries to help her mother and not fear the man too much. Scorned by Broek snobs as a mere goose girl, Gretel trembles in the face of recurring domestic disaster; she feels guilty about her private, conflicting emotions toward her father.

Two mysteries haunt the Brinker cottage, keeping readers in suspense until their separate denouements: the location of the
missing family fortune of 10,000 Guilders and the identity of the owner of
a fine watch bearing the initials L. J. B. If only the invalid could answer all their questions, for these objects changed location the very night of the dike disaster. Throughout the 332 pages the young folks along the canals are excited at the prospect of a Great race in late December, for which the winners in each category will receive a special pair of silver skates. What a prize! But how could poor riffraff like the Brinker siblings afford decent skates even to compete?

Stylistically the pacing is uneven; after introducing mysteries and juvenile antics the author seems to get bogged down for many long chapters when the boys take an extended trip to various Dutch cities--leaving readers wondering about the latest crisis in the Brinker home.
Thanks to Ben, an English cousin of one of the boy's in Peter's gang,
We see Holland through foreign eyes--for nationalistic contrast. Despite its dated style, this book is a pleasant read with mild hints for social reform and moral promotion for human compassion, with a very tidy ending.

Hans Brinker is an interesting book on many levels. As an adult I enjoyed the historic look at where "Hollanders" originated and why some of their traditions are as they are. I also enjoyed the moral aspects of honesty, hard work, integrity and care for family. These are all strong positives for the book.

Unfortunately, the plot and story telling left me a bit disappointed. At one point the story shifts dramatically from the Brinker family to an adventure (almost travel narrative with tour guide notes) with other teens who took a skating trip to see other parts of Holland. This just did not fit well together with the main story. The main story is about Hans and his sister Gretel and their parents. The father has had a severe head injury while working on protecting the dikes.

I think kids might find the reading tedious and difficult to follow.

Hans is great, he's a good boy. The Dutch are great, they work with integrity. All is great about the Dutch- but the plot. Those Dutch children are not a riotous bunch. After reading about ice canal for the umpteenth time...I fell asleep.

Ice is lovely, but not for 20 pages.

I remembers Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates as one of my favorite childhood books and wanted to try it again. It was as delightful in my middle age as when I was seven years old. The forward about Mary Mapes Dodge, when she lived and how she came to write, was an added pleasure. The facts about Holland blended with the touching story of Hans and his family make it a nearly perfect read. My 70-something mother-in-law finished the book in a day and liked it as well. To read it is to feel like you are flying down the ice yourself.

When I was in grade school, I read a biography of Mary Mapes Dodge. which described her personal life while she was writing Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates.The book became the #1 item on my Christmas wish list and that wish was granted. I read the book numerous times during my lifetime and quite unexpectedly as a corporate wife, I had the quite lovely experience of living in the Netherlands in an extraordinary year when the canals froze and when they had actual ice skate racing and kettle sweeping on the canals. I felt I was living in the story which I had read so many times. I hope today's children read it with all the excitement I did and then get the wonderful opportunity to speak the language and live with the wonderful people there.

This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes world of major league baseball, its rivalries and intense contract negotiations.

It approaches the story as an insider's look at a somewhat unlovable sports figure and the greatest year in his career (the author is a Giants beat writer.) I learned a lot about Bonds, his respect for family and privacy and his feelings towards his teammates and fellow MLB players as well as his much-publicized, love-hate relationship with the media.

If you're a fan of the game or a student of the baseball industry, this book should be a must-read.

THIS BOOK GIVES YOU A GOOD LOOK AT THE TALENT OF ONE OF THE GREATS IN THE SPORT. MR BONDS IS A VERY UNIQUE TALENT WHO IS A VERY COMPLEX PERSON. HIS HISTORICAL SEASON IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND IT IS DONE WITH GREAT DETAIL AND EFFORT. I SEE MANY SIDES OF BARRY BONDS. THE ONE WHO IS TRYING TO BE MORE FRIENDLY AND AWARE OF OTHER PEOPLE BESIDES HIMSELF AND THE ARROGANT SELF CENTERED PERSON OF YEARS GONE BY. ONE OF THE BEST WRITTEN ABOUT THE HISTORIC SEASON OF THE RECORD SMASHING 73. WELL WORTH READING.

This book could have been great, showing the "real" Barry Bonds, the one who takes every advantage for himself at the expense of the great game and sometimes his own team. Instead, it is more or less a book written as Barry wanted it. The fact that the author admits he envisions the book on Barry's shelf is enough evidence that his goal was not to acurately tell the true story of the man and the season of 2001, but rather to tell a fictional story of Barry and furthers the fantasy of those blinded by their loyalty to the Giants that Barry is anything more than a good ball player who could care less about the game, his teammates, and the fans who pay his salary.

The many inconsistencies between the accounts in this book and the reality of the season give further evidence that this is a work of fiction. The authors deliberate smooching of Barry to gain favor and be "allowed" to speak to the man shows the real sham here. Read other accounts of the same events by multiple other writers and you will see how Barry-serving and lopsided this book is.

It's pretty much a fantasy.

I am quite the Barry Bonds fan, so I looked very forward to reading This Gracious Season. Unfortunately the story was nearly impossible for me to focus on through all of the mis-punctuation, misuse of words, and failed attempts at lace. I think, that Josh Suchon, must have received, a royalty, from every, comma, used.
Yes, the story was a good one. But that has little to do with the author, being as this was a biography. I like that he threw in personal tidbits, but they were drowning in a sea of Josh Suchon's attempts at using a thesaurus, and showing off his ability to look up sports stats. One of my favorite movie lines (paraphrased) is applicable here: Sometimes more isn't better; it's just more.
Barry, I love you. Josh, stick to the papers.

In spite of his Hall of Fame ability, Barry Bonds has long had a reputation as an arrogant unfeeling individual who does not serve well as an ambassador for the game, in the same sense that McGwire, Sosa, Gwynn, and Ripken have done, and a book about him doesn't seem to attract any interest outside of Giant country. To coin a phrase made notorious by Barry himself, are baseball fans still missing the show?

This particular book is about author Josh Suchon's experience of Barry's record-breaking 2001 baseball season, which had the baseball world agog. And Suchon makes the mistake of allowing himself to become too close to his subject, even acknowledging that he envisions his book on Barry's bookshelf. But the book is not a "whitewash", as others have claimed. The title is based on the Shakespeare quotation set forth after the title page, and, in the present context, the word "gracious" is meant to describe Bonds's performance and not Barry himself.

Suchon doesn't deny Barry's shortcomings; he simply places them in the perspective of his other qualities such as his work ethic and his willingness to play in pain.

He also places Bonds's shortcomings in the perspective of the demands made on his time, the expectations held of him, the behavior of other ballplayers, and the context of the given situation. These are better derived from the book than described by me, but, to take one example, the infamous "Barry's corner" of the Giant clubhouse exists largely for therapeutic purposes. The $3,000 couch on which he lounges is a vibrating couch that heals his back, which was purchased by Barry, and not the team.

Beyond that, Suchon misses very little. Like Ishmael, he makes his presence known but wisely does not impose too much of himself in describing events as they unfold, knowing full well that the story in itself is remarkable enough.

Suchon covers the season from beginning to end, including the Giants' failure to sign Bonds to a long term contract before his "option" season started; and his relationship with his father, Bobby Bonds - an ex-Giant and star in his own right - and Bobby's teammates, Barry's godfather, Willie Mays and his boyhood idol, Willie McCovey. As a young boy, Barry was a fixture in the Giant clubhouse and would gaze at the players whose records he would someday chase.

Barry's present-day complex relationship with the Giant front office and with his manager, teammates, and opponents, as well as the peaks and valleys of a season in which individual glory didn't necessarily bring about team success, is also discussed.

Suchon also describes the challenges that Bonds faced during a season that must have sometimes seemed less than gracious, including a threat against his life, the actual death of a close personal friend, and a revision of perspective after September 11 (the post-tragedy hiatus also stymied the momentum he had built up beforehand).

Most treacherous of all is the disdainful manner in which Bonds was treated by opposing pitchers who often simply refused to pitch to him, regardless of the game setting. Giants fans will long remember Houston Astros manager, Larry Dierker and his pitching staff skulking on the lowest end of the cowardice scale, and the TV camera shots of Barry's daughters holding signs pleading, "Please pitch to our Daddy".

The relationship that Barry developed with the fans is worth several psychological treatises on human nature. Possibly the most unpopular ballplayer outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bonds has always been lustily booed when the Giants play on the road and when he chased McGwire's home run record last year, few fans were rooting for him to break it.

And yet - when Giants opponents refused to pitch to Bonds, the fans - ESPECIALLY the Houston Astros fans !!! - would boo their own team with at least equal fervor! They might have been rooting for Barry's defeat but not at the expense of honor. It's a curious and gratifying aspect of the baseball fan that his sense of fair play might actually outweigh his personal dislike for an individual player.

The book ends after Barry has signed a long-term contract to finish his career with the Giants. And Suchon strikes out by failing to adequately analyze the motives of the star who has said that he wants a World Series ring more than anything else including money but who merely sold his services to the highest bidder.

Indeed, Bonds sold his services to an organization that devotes an extremely disproportionate share of its payroll to reward HIM and cannot or will not purchase the services of other stars that might help propel Bonds and his teammates into the show that Barry says he wants to perform in more than any other.

Moreover, under Dusty Baker, the Giants have become a moribund organization that lives and dies on Bonds's shoulders.

Under predecessor Roger Craig, the Giants were able to master the fine art of moving base runners and MANUFACTURING runs - when their sluggers couldn't overpower the opposition - and "stealing" wins with the hit-and-run, the sacrifice, and the squeeze play. But under Dusty Baker, Giant stewardship has become an entirely personality-driven affair, in which managerial decisions are based on favoritism, not talent or ability to deliver.

And sound fundamental baseball is an ancient memory. This is a team designed to win only if its sluggers produce every day (which even Bonds is not capable of doing) because its manager does not demand or coach excellence in baseball fundamentals.

Bonds must know all of these things and how they affect his championship dreams, but like the lady of Kent (!!!!), he "went" anyway. When analyzing Bonds's personality, the author fails to adequately expose and account for this. As a result, notwithstanding his thrilling depiction of the most gracious season ever bestowed on a ballplayer by the baseball gods, Josh Suchon still misses some of the show.

I read over this book in the waiting room of my Dentist's office. All in all I think this book is a good guide for parents of aspiring skaters. On a personal note one has to really ask if it is worth sacrificing a childhood for a medal?. These skaters have to train relentlessly for years.In the process they miss out so much of childhood which when lost can never be replaced. I have no children of my own but given what I saw during the whole Lillehammer Nancy Kerrigan / Tonya Harding scandal someone needs to watch over these young athletes so they do not lose contact with reality. I wish Ms. Witt had the courage to write more about her life in the former East German sports machine as it is especially relevant today when we read about athletes and doping scandals. I think Ms Witt like so many of the former Communist Bloc athletes were products of a system that treated them like racehorses to be bred and trained. Many had health problems in later life due to the strange performance enhancing drugs given them. Ms. Witt was hosting a TV show in Germany called "The OSTALGIE Show ". Ostalgie is term used by Germans as nostalgia for the good aspects of life under the old regime. I wonder if Ms. Witt has read "Faust's Gold: Inside the East German Doping Machine". The problem with nostalgia is no matter what the past is always better because one can be sentimental about the good and forget the evil.

I am not a skater but I am a great fan of Katarina Witt since my childhood..I have grown up with watching her skating programmes and when I was a little girl I was wearing my rollerblades at home and I was Katarina Witt:)collecting all the flowers -that my mum,grandfather,and other family members that I made them throw me flowers:))-but due to the lack of skating arenas I have never been able to start to skate seriously although I was very talented and willing but I always admired Katarina Witt.This book is really good for me to observe the mentality of the East German approach for sport and emposing being ambitious and tough to their sporters.I have read some comments regarding this book before ,some people say this book will not be a good example for young skaters in mean of nutrition but I want to say that in these years we were not as conscious as today regarding nutrition.Remember we were still watching the Cigarette Advertisements on TV.So the nutrition mentality has changed a lot in all over the world and Katarina just told her working conditions frankly .She did not give this as an example to be copied of..Besides today's teenagers and their trainers are so conscious that they will only take the parts that will be helpful to them from this book they are aware of what's good or what's bad..
On this book I reccomend to the readers that when you read for example Olympics part from the book ,it will be more fun to read the Olympic parts and after to watch Katarina's that show on youtube ..
Thanks a lot to AMAZON for providing this book !!
NIL

Throughout the 1980s and early '90s, East German Katarina Witt dominated the world of ladies' skating. In her autobiography, Witt describes what skating has meant to her, as she details a coming-of-age story being "told" to a young up-and-coming skater, Jasmine.

The book is a fast read, and while it is mildly interesting, it is also very repetitive. Katarina skates past her childhood in the GDR, briefly mentioning her parents, and glosses over the competitions she has had in her life as well. There is virtually nothing about her Olympic bids in Sarajevo, Calgary, and Lillehammer, and little is mentioned of her famous rivalry with American Debi Thomas. Instead, the book focuses on advice Witt has for young skaters - namely, stay true to your dreams and don't give up.

When compared with what is perhaps skating's most famous memoir, "My Sergei" by Katia Gordeeva, this book falls far short. There is virtually no emotion, and the character Katarina is supposedly telling the story to may or may not exist (it's not made clear whether she is real or not). Little insight is offered into the world of skating, either at the amateur level or professional (Katarina doesn't talk about her years on Stars on Ice at all).

Overall, this book is decent, but by no means great. It is emotionless, and mildly intriguing, if more for its outrageous title than anything else. Looking for a great skating book? Try "My Sergei" instead.

I wonder why Katarina stirs clear about her real life and her close involvement with the Stasi, and how it ruined and destroyed people's lives, it would at least have made a more interesting read than this dull book.

Ho hum, it has been said that Ms. Witt was never a very naturally gifted figure skater, that even her wonderfully choreographed programs were never easy for her to do.

It's also rather odd that for such an unrepentant and strident communist to take advantage of all the opportunities western life has given her, but she doesn't seem in the least bit grateful. Everything is about her, her, her. Definitely NOT a good role model for young girls or women.

Tear your eyes away from the winter spectacle of the Turin Olympics and treat yourself to multiply talented skating superstar Katarine Witt's most intimate memories. She tells them all to a young girl whose name she kindly changes to "Jasmine," a young girl who comes to her in need of advice. Witt sees Jasmine as a version, perhaps, of her younger self, the self that grew up behind the Iron Curtain, indeed behind the Berlin Wall only to become a pawn of the feared Stasi. As Jasmine spends a week luxuriating in the presence of the adored Katarina, she asks her mentor a series of penetrating, even probing questions and these questions, together with the Delphic replies Katarina makes in response, form the backbone of this wise, witty and winning little book. Some may say, it feels like only about 30,000 words, far too short for a book costing $23.50, but i say, it was just the right length.

Jasmine asks about dating, and of course Katarina, as one of the most beautiful women in competitive sports, or indeed on Planet Earth, has plenty to say about it. Did you know the she once dated East German rock singer Ingo? In fact he was her first serious boyfriend; they met at a "youth festival" and fell madly in love. Those European "youth festivals" sound like fun. If I'm correct, that is where ABBA met each other a bit further north! Anyhow the government soon separated the young lovers. Jasmine then asks Katarina if it is true she once dated "McGyver"! Yes, she uses the name McGyver, almost as if she could not remember the actor's name who played him! (Richard Dean Anderson.) Instead of getting huffy, Katarina smiles sadly and reflects on how neither she nor Anderson were willing to move to the other's continent and that killed the romance, which however was quite "intense." What's little known is that McGyver himself (RDA as his fans call him) isn't a bad skater himself! In love, Witt advises,"if you want to become really serious, to have the relationship work, then somebody has to play second violin." Doesn't she sound charming and old world, where we in California might say, "second fiddle"?

Katarina also discusses her famous nude appearance in PLAYBOY. And she puts it in context, the context of the way that in Europe, particularly her country, nudity is natural. Until she was sixteen she walked around topless everywhere. Reading her life this way, you realize that an appearance in PLAYBOY was just like breathing in and breathing out for Katarina Witt. Ahe is magnificent, the Princess Caroline of Monaco of the ice world. Long may she reign, in the USA at any rate, for she admits that in the US audiences are warm and love an old skater, whereas in Europe the attitude is much more, you're old, get off the ice. In America, she says, she was shocked to see Dorothy Hamill still feted and hailed and worshipped by audiences even in her late forties! Wouldn't happen in East Germany, Hamill would be relegated to cooking strudel for the younger players.

I liked this book. It's about skating. This book really tells about skating for gold from 12 years old and on. It tells the challenges Michelle and Tara went through. I liked especially how Michelle started and the tricks she pulled on her father. This is a golden book.

I personally thought this was a great book. It did have a lot of technical things, but there was a glossary as well. It had a lot of narration, but it also had some stuff in the skaters' eyes as well. There was just enough writing, but some pictures as well. There were featured chapters on each skater, but ones with them together. This book is a great buy if you want to find out about a competitive skater's life, or just find out about Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan's lives.

I am a figure skater, I have been for 4 years now, and I am not reading this book, I am studying it. I think there is excellent advice and quotes that help me to realize why I skate, not to win, but have fun. Skating is as much physical as it is mental. I think this book really helps people to see the pressure skaters face before competing and how many people are depending on them to win. This book itself should take home the gold.

I was quite impressed with the deep metaphor used throughout the novel. The author used the metaphor of the ice skate to symbolize how we must shape the world for the better. Just as the blade of the skates skims across the cold and unaccepting ice of the rink, mankind must skim across the world, leaving a trail of happiness edged by cold hard steel. The zamboni that cleans off the ice, symbolizes negative forces that serves to erase all that we have created. Our dreams of gold and silver as shattered, just like Nancy Kerigan's knee years ago. I love the Olympics and I love how the author integrates these wonderful games into his work. The only problem with this book are the two main characters. The author has gone too far with these characters. They do not seem realistic. Sometimes authors can be too creative, this is apparant in the characters of Tara and Michelle. However, I recommend this book as a guide for everyday life.

...as I do, this book would make a fair addition to your skating collection. The book was not bad -- it was an interesting read, but it didn't really tell me much that I didn't already know about both skaters. Tara and Michelle's individual autobiographies give you a far better look into their lives and their emotions throughout the especially eventful 1996-1997 skating season. The photos were good and it was a good overview of both skaters and their careers, but if you want the real story of these skaters as well, you should definitely pick up Triumph on Ice and Heart of a Champion to get the whole story.

Rainier Burgdorfer's Backcountry Skiing in the Washington's Cascades is MUCH MORE useful. I've got both this book and Burgdorfer's guide and this guidebook covers the same tours as Burgdorfer's book and doesn't provide enough new or different information about these backcountry ski tours to make it useful. As Mr. Blair mentions, Burgdorfer's book does cover some tours that are only accessible after roads have melted out or that require some mountaineering equipment, but that just makes it more interesting. The majority of Burgdorfer's tours are suitable for skiers of intermediate or better ability and do not require any non-skiing gear (i.e., mountaineering equipment).

Martin Volken's guide to Backcountry Skiing Snoqualmie Pass (Backcountry Skiing) is also worth checking out as it does provide new and different options from Burgdorfer's guide in my opinion.

The best thing about this guide is that you can use it all winter and put it away in the summer. I really like the relaxed style and the way the author makes me feel like I can do any one of these routes in a day.
I own both backcountry skiing and snowboarding guides to Washington, and this one is by far the best. Most of the routes in the other book are only open in the summer and it would be impossible to get to them in a day.

Seabury Blair's guide book appeals to those of us who don't jump off of cliffs for entertainment. When first starting out as a novice skier I would have appreciated having a copy of this book. Now that I'm skiing at an intermediate level this guide book is invaluable. It's formatted for all levels of skiing abilities. Most guide books are written with just the facts..very dry. Blair's guide book is informative but written with a sense of humor. Whether you are experienced or just beginning to take to the snow this book is for you. Very well done.

The author has written a witty very informative book. I would very strongly recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors, and is looking for a book that is not only accurate, factual, but also very entertaining. GREAT READING!

Does anyone besides Seabury Blair's friends like this book? Marlene Kocur liked it but she has also drew the maps for the book. Another reader gave it 5 stars but also happens to live on the Olympic Peninsula. Probably another of Mr. Blair's friends. If you give this horrendous book a positive review please be completely honest about whether or not the author happens to be a friend of yours. Blair has written a pamphlet for beginning cross-country skiers and then stretched it into a book by printing the same route descriptions over and over again. Then he slapped a cover on it to try and sell it to backcountry skiers and snowboarders. A quick perusal at the bookstand would make this obvious but on the web we don't have that luxury.

This is a pretty comprehensive book covering everything from equipment to wax to turns. It would be nice to have a easier method of learning how to turn, but the way presented here for turns is pretty complicated. Snowboarding is not too complicated so I do not understand why this book is so long.

I've returned that book, didn't like it. For beginners I recommend "GO SNOWBOARD" - better, simpler,cheaper,latest issue,instructional DVD included.

This book is decent, but the Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding is a much more in-depth and well written book. It is also more entertaining with funny drawings and tips. This book really only skims the surface on all the areas you need to start snowboarding.

This book is great for begginers and also explains advanced tricks and techniques like methods, spins, cliff drops, carving and explains a little about racing and competative snowboarding. It also gives you usefull info like what to eat before you go, warm-ups, getting on and off chairlifts, ect.

I really got alot out of this book, if you want to save yourself a beating on the run's this is for you!

I have to say that the real star
is really steven bradbury. if one
saw the olympics in the 1000 meters
, he was the 1 that one. i dont think
i will buy this book. he came out on the
jay leno show and the conan obrian show
and he said absolutely "nothing" about
the sport if it was growing. one has to actually
check the websites to find information about
speedskating, and the history of the sport.

If you want some one positive in my view, Check
out Gold Medalist Derek Parra. He was enthusiastic
in his interviews. and trains at the utah olympic oval.

i dont recommend this book. for the most part speedskaters
stay hush hush about things. it is like they just want to
be the only ones doing it.
sooner or later, African Americans will dominate this sport.
it is just a matter of time.

This Avon book is for young readers. A fantastic way to introduce the biographical genre to 4th-6th grade reading levels. Well written, inspiring book, interesting subject, easy to follow.

My friend ordered this book, as we are both obsessed Apolo fans. I was a bit dissapointed. It was stuff I already knew, and the way it explained things, it made it seem as if it were aimed at people younger than I am. But it had great photos, and overall it wasn't too bad.

I bought this book a few months ago, shortly after it was published, mostly because I was obsessed with Apolo. I was a bit disappointed with the author's interpretation of Apolo's life and events. He made Apolo's life sound too much like a story, and I didn't really like the kind of informal language he used. Plus, I could tell that the author didn't really get to know Apolo personally. There wasn't really anything in the book about Apolo that I didn't know. Someone could have very easily gotten all of the information from the internet, newspapers, and magazines.

There are some great pictures in there, though. But overall, I wouldn't really recommend the book for die-hard Apolo fans (fans who know pretty much every thing about him that has been released to the public), because it's mostly redundant. The book is more well-suited to younger fans, around elementary or middle school age, since the language used by the author can be annoying to older, better educated fans (in high school, college, or beyond).

It's is a review of the story that his fans know well: however, it is a good book to read because it has a little bit of short track history as well as the biography on Apolo. It also has great pictures of Apolo.

I heard the older version of this book has better pictures

This is the best book for backcountry skiing in Washington State. As noted by other reviewers, some of the tours are best done in the spring and summer---they are great when done it the right season. This is all covered by the authors and useful mileages are provided. Skiers and snowboarders looking for adventures in Washington State won't be disappointed by Burgdorfers suggestions---some of them are tough, but usually worth the suffering.

Reading the other reviews of this book, I felt that people were ganging up on the author and that I just needed to chime in with my two cents worth. I believe this book to be far and away the best backcountry skiing/snowboarding guide available for Washington. These are the epic routes and memorable peaks that are the stuff of touring legend. I have found the route descriptions to be highly accurate and the maps to be fine for the purposes of illustration. After all, you should really have a full USGS or at least Green Trails map when you go into these areas anyways. The only thing I wish had a bit more consideration are snowboard specific hazards such as long flat or uphill areas along the descent. These add drastically to estimated times, especially when postholing is involved. That, however, is my minor quibble. I've made several of the trips in this book and loved them all (even last weekend when I broke my splitboard out by the Sulphide Glacier). Hardly a weekend passes where I do not have this book out planning my next escapades with my climbing partner. An admirable job on highly variable subject matter. Now, if I can just find a book that accurately predicts what the snowpack will look like for a given day...

Everybody is a critic, including some twelve year olds.Talk about a scathing review, this kid really let me have it. However... * If you want to ride Tomyhoi in winter, get a snowmobile, or take a week off and make sure your life insurance is paid up. This is not a winter tour. As an aside, most of Washington's mountains are not accessible in winter. Blame God, USFS, or NPS. * I am not a self-proclaimed guru. Some publicist wrote that. I have a job. I try to get out and ride or ski. That's it. * The Publisher did the maps. My contribution was the relevant information, not the format. I'm sure the Publisher would be happy to create maps just for you if you would guarantee payment! *The avalanche zone indicator debate is obviously alive and well. I'm personally against showing the "danger zones" but Publisher insisted on it. And, if you read the book, you'll discover that you and I agree on this point also. *Photograph selection and captions, indeed the entire content of The Book is subject to the discretion of the Publisher. Gary Brill had agreed to provide images for this book but did not deliver by the Publisher's deadline. I had a contractual obligation to deliver and I did. Fourteen out of seventyfive aerial shots doesn't seem excessive, especially if they offer information not otherwise possible. *It is not muddled thinking to encourage dog owners to consider the consequences of taking their dog in the woods and show an image of a Husky inside the Stevens Pass Ski Area boundary. Personally, I enjoy outings with dogs. *My route times don't seem underestimated. Camp Muir is easily reached in under four hours by fit climbers, in good conditions, carrying a daypack. An hour for lunch and a nap, and an hour for a leisurely descent makes for a reasonable day. * Finally, my first guidebook was published in 1986, not two decades ago. It was intended as a year-around guidebook, not a winter guide. The current guidebook is a similar effort, with an added emphasis on snowboarding. Further comments or questions can be addressed to me at Burgdorfer@hotmail.com. Happy Trails! Rainer Burgdorfer

The first sentence of the first route in Rainer Burgdorfer's tired tome tells you all you have to know about his disappointing second edition. In describing Tomyhoi Peak's "reasonable access," he uses the parenthetical phrase, "once Twin Lakes Road is clear of snow." What that means is that if you want to ride this peak in the winter, you must add at least 3 miles and 2,000 vertical feet to the route outlined in this guide. In fact, the trailheads to half of the routes and hills in Burgdorfers dated rehash cannot be reached in the winter. Fifty-one of the 102 routes in the book are inaccessible during the months of December, January and February. Worse still, if you take this self-proclaimed "guru's" advice, more than one-third (36) of the hills are only reachable in April, May or June. I don't know about you, but the kind of snow I love to ride just doesn't fall from the sky in April, May or June. If you are looking for a good winter backcountry ride guide, look somewhere other than this book. But describing trails that you can't reach in the winter isn't the only major failing of this book. At least half of the maps in the book are unreadable because the contour lines are too light, too small, or too close together. It would have been far better to create new maps with greater contour intervals. Of more concern to the reader is that the maps show potential "avalanche zones." A backcountry snowboarder or skier new to this type of adventure might reasonably conclude that these zones are the ONLY areas to worry about avalanche hazard. Anyone with an ounce of experience know this is not true--but beyond that, it is a gross insult to the reader to assume that anyone who plies the winter backcountry cannot recognize an avalanche slope. Further, Burgdorfer's writing is barely informative and massively boring. At times, his huge ego interferes with an objective analysis of the route; for example, his recommendation of the Muir Snowfield solely for its " entertainment value"--presumably derived by watching skiers or riders who don't have his skill or experience. Yet another fatal problem with the book are many of the photgraphs, including a photo by the author of footprints in the snow on Page 56. This useless picture indeed is worth a thousand words--all of them derogatory. In a sad departure from the publisher's (The Mountaineer) usual careful editing for liability concerns, another photo in the book depicts a shirtless skier wearing shorts "on a glacier" (Page44). And the overuse of aerial photograpy would suggest that the author spent more time scouting routes from an airplane in the winter than he did on the snow. Another example of muddled thinking and inattentive editing is the photo on Page 116 of a dog on one of the routes, yet Burdorfer cautions readers on Page 15 to "consider leaving your dog at home." If indeed he wants us to leave our dogs at home (including those trained in avalanche rescue work), perhaps the dog should have been cropped out of the photo. The Indefatigable Ego of the author is also evident in his under-estimation of "ski times" on most of the routes. Anyone who has climbed to Camp Muir from Paradise, almost 5 miles and 5,000 vertical feet, will tell you it takes a great deal longer than 6 hours, but Burdorfer classifies this an "intermediate" route-- and most intermediates would take at least 5 hours simply climbing up to Muir in the dead of winter. In sum, this book was originally written more than two decades ago. It wasn't a helpful guide to Washington's winter backcountry then, and the second edition--which could hardly be called "new"--is no better.

Many people go to Bonaire for their vacation without visiting either Aruba or Curacao (the other two islands in the group known as the "ABC Islands"), so it is nice to see Bonaire as a separate Diving Guide and not included as an afterthought.

"Diving Bonaire" measures 10" x 7" and is another guide in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. These particular publishers set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. This is, therefore, another worthy addition to the series.

The book is well laid out and includes a liberal sprinkling of high-quality photographs which bring colour to almost every page. Commencing with a brief history of Bonaire's past and present, the book then goes on to include all that useful information required by any potential visitor - currency, climate, getting there, entry & exit requirements, telephones, shopping, and time difference. Chapter 2 concentrates on accommodations and diving facilities and this is followed by a further chapter devoted to dining.

Chapter 4 is an overview of what the diver can expect to find underwater. This really sets the scene and includes such important information as temperature, visibility, depths, moorings, reefs, boat dives, shores dives, skill levels, equipment and more besides.

In chapter 6 we get down to specifics. This commences with a map of Bonaire and Klein Bonaire across two-pages on which are marked no fewer than 56 principle dive sites. Curiously, this is followed by brief notes on 58 sites and this gives rise to my one minor criticism - namely that Nos 57 and 58 (rated as being "For Professionals Only") are not shown on the map.

With a final chapter devoted to Marine Life, the book then concludes with a number of Appendices containing that all-important emergency information, useful numbers and a list of diving facilities.

Altogether, this book contains all the information the potential visitor to Bonaire will require when contemplating such a trip. As I said, only one minor criticism, but not enough to deprive these authors of a well-earned 5 star rating because they have used the word "guide" to the best possible effect. This is a first rate diving guide to Bonaire. All the information is there to allow you to consider carefully whether or not Bonaire will be your next diving destination. If you decide against visiting this splendid island, it will not be through any failing within this book.

NM

This book was published in 1991. Unfortunately in November 1999, Hurricane Lenny inflicted a massive underwater storm surge on Bonaire that destroyed many of the dive & snorkel sites referenced in this book. Many sites have nothing to look at until 30' depth. I also found this book to be lacking in local color.

The best book on Bonaire diving & snorkeling is "Shore Diving Made Easy" that you can buy for US$10 at the island dive shops. It is up to date with recommended entry/exit points and suggested landmarks while diving.

Very pleased with the content of this book! There are extensive details about the location, underwater terrain and marine life of 58 of Bonaire's dive sites. There is also a section on lodging, restaurants, dive centers, grocery shopping... right down to where to get the best local ice cream! We're diving Bonaire in April and I've already chosen some of those must-dive sites!

I bought both this book and the Schnabel "Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Bonaire." This book was by far the better of the two, with more information (both diving and non-diving), excellent pictures, and just overall a better guide to diving on Bonaire. If you only take one guide, this should be it.

I bought this book before going to Bonaire in the summer of 2002. Our group of 4 used it extensively during our stay there and found it very useful in describing the different dive sites. The book does a very good job of describing how to find the shore diving sites, where to park, how to enter the water and what to expect in the water. There is a good map and good broad overviews of the island, the culture, marine life, hotels and resturants. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone planning to go to Bonaire.

The book provides very good advice on several ways to create insulation when none exists, as well as giving expert guidence on the make-up and effectiveness of different fabrics and materials as insulators.

For as inexpensive as the reference is, I say its a good buy.

This is an OK book, but not worth buying. The book is too repetitive, and could be shortened to a few pages. The basic idea of the book is: warmth = thickness. Most insulation insulates because of the dead air space it traps (not because of what the insulation is made of), so the idea of staying warm is to just have enough dead air space. So, the "Secret of Warmth" is to just use something to make dead air space and seal it up good so the wind won't blow in and the air won't leak out. And don't get it wet. There, you've read the book.

There is much more in this book than just "thickness equals warmth". The info on vapor barriers, moisture condensation in fabrics, body heat reflection, and heat loss through breathing are all excellent. Much of this information is not widely available, and in fact is considered "wrong" by a large group of outdoor "experts". Buy the book, try the recommendations, and become one of the few true cold weather experts yourself.

This book is easy to read, and it's easy to apply the basic secrets for staying warm. After 34 years of chilly Canadian winters, I've FINALLY found a way to have warm fingers and toes all the time.