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Books by Lou

Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry Skiing

Dawsons Guide to Colorado Backcountry Skiing was the new edition of Colorado High Routes. It is now out of print though available on the used market.

Dawson's Guide to Colorado Backcountry Skiing was the new edition of Colorado High Routes. It is now out of print though available on the used market, with parts published at hutski.com.

Wild Snow is Louis Dawsons signature work, covers the history of North American ski mountaineering and backcountry skiing. Soft and hard cover editions still in print.

Wild Snow is Louis Dawson's signature work, covers the history of North American ski mountaineering and backcountry skiing. Soft and hard cover editions still in print.

10th Mountain Huts guidebook

10th Mountain Huts guidebook

Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry Skiing

From Lou:
Getting published on paper over the last decades has been an interesting journey. It’s resulted in a few successes and what I’m comfortable calling contributions to the sports of backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering.

On the other hand, my career in publishing has been ultimately frustrating. Because printed books are so expensive to produce it’s difficult to keep them updated or even in print unless they sell huge numbers of copies — and backcountry skiing guidebooks in North America are not huge sellers.

Thus, I’ve actually been happy to let several of my books go out of print, so I can then publish that same information on the web. Offered for free, perhaps supported by advertising. My best example of this is HutSki.com, where I web published my complete 10th Mountain Huts guidebook, with a new map set and added features made possible by the web.

My “Dawson’s Guide to Colorado Backcountry Skiing” is also now out of print, and I’m excited about porting that book to the web a well. The plan with that is to wrap the Alfred Braun Huts information into HutSki.com, then do another guidebook website for the general backcountry skiing routes covered in the book, and certainly more.

Meanwhile, my two guidebooks for Colorado’s famed 14,000 foot “fourteeners” are still in print, as is my history book “Wild Snow.” For information about any of my books, just click on the cover images on this page. Thanks for your interest in my work!

Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past forty years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, and tons of Randonnee rando telemark info.

All material on this website is copyrighted. Permission required for reproduction, electronic or otherwise. That includes publication and display on other websites by whatever means. PLEASE SEE OUR COPYRIGHT INFORMATION.

Backcountry skiing is a dangerous sport. You may be killed or severely injured if you do any form of randone, randonnee and randonnée skiing. The information on this website is intended only as general information. While the authors and editors of the information on this website make every effort to present useful information, due to human error the information, text and images contained within this website may be inaccurate, false, or out-of-date. By using, reading or viewing the information provided on this website, you agree to absolve the owners of Wild Snow as well as content contributors of any liability for injuries or losses incurred while using such information. Furthermore, you agree to use any of this website's information, maps, photos, or binding mounting instructions or templates at your own risk, and waive Wild Snow its owners and contributors of any liability for use of said items for backcountry skiing or any other use.