New Guidebook – Adirondack Slide Guide
It’s fun when a new backcountry skiing guidebook comes out. Your hot copy arrives, you flip the pages, and the world of mountain skiing opens up by another zillion acres or so. The Adirondack Slide Guide by Drew Haas is no exception. In the basic style of presenting a ton of oblique annotated aerial photos, the book shows how the legendary ‘dacks provide adventure skiers and riders with a unique playground.
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| Making do with timbered terrain, Adirondack backcountry skiers avoid dense vegitable matter by finding the “slides” and giving them good use — but I’ve heard they still get whipped in the face by a few branches now and than. The preface says life in the Adirondacks must have been tough for Indians who ate bark to make it though winter. Some things never change.
I enjoyed the photos in Drew’s book, but didn’t have to look inside to know how good it is. Right there on the cover, proof that this book is of an enlightened genre — a Dynafit binding peaking out from behind the cover jock’s backpack. |
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| Check out this sample page. Over 70 different slides, faces and gullies are named and labeled in similar shots. As Drew says in his cover letter for my review copy: Happy Exploring!
(Slide Guide is available at retailers in the northeast, and direct from Drew’s website. |
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10 Responses to “New Guidebook – Adirondack Slide Guide”
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I got to ski a slide in the Daks with Drew and his brother Jeremy once, definitely a good adventure outing. Way more engaging than your typical run down Marble peak. Can’t wait to check out a copy for myself.
Thanks Lou. The Adirondacks sure can offer some unique terrain and pure adventure skiing! The book site (www.dacksdescents.com) should be up and running in a few days. or in the mean time dacksdescents at hotmail dot com.
Drew thanks for sharing this beta with us. Your work always impresses! Good Luck!
Excellent new guide. The Dacks get rave reviews from many in this area. I know three guys who go each winter and have been ticking off the High Peaks summits for a few years. Good adventure. Lou, looks like the link to Drew’s website is a gaping void in cyberspace.
Mark
I guess I’m the ‘cover jock’ (and the author of the preface). Great to see that it is well received. When I travel places like Alaska for guiding or visit with the Cloudevil crew in Jackson- I always get puzzled looks when I say I’m from the Adirondacks. I thought everyone remembered Lake Placid’s ‘Miracle On Ice’ in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Glad that we’re on the radar at least- and perhaps more than just ‘making do’. I can’t say that powder is guaranteed, but if you like adventure and a challenge- you may just get your own miracle on ice!
Hi Jesse, thanks for the comment! That’s a good preface, wish I’d had it kicking around back when I was writing Wildsnow… it’s in the library now and ready for reference. What you guys do up there is a noble tradition and I love hearing about it. The book of photos makes it much more real. Hope I can visit some day…
Just got done with a quick leaf through and think this will become a classic resource and aid for those adventuring on the East coast. Drew did an excellent job navigating the waters of adventure and information; giving readers the tools and resources to venture, but also challenging them to seek out the adventure on their own, using their own wits.
Jesse and Drew are terrific people: as equally competent and knowledgeable as they are approachable and laid back. Excellent work guys.
Lou, The website in up and running now.
Thanks
Drew Haas
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[...] New Guidebook – Adirondack Slide Guide- The Backcountry Skiing BlogJul 10, 2006 … It’s fun when a new backcountry skiing guidebook comes out. Your hot copy arrives, you flip the pages, and the world of mountain skiing … [...]