November has arrived, and for many folks in snowy climates, the start of ski season is tantalizingly near. As 翱耻迟蝉颈诲别听editors count down the weeks to opening day, we鈥檙e very excited to introduce our next book club pick: , a wide-ranging look at the state of American ski culture by Heather Hansman.
Hansman, 补苍听翱耻迟蝉颈诲别听contributing editor and environmental columnist, has a long history with the sport: she grew up skiing the mountains of New Hampshire and moved west after college in pursuit of fresh powder, landing a job scanning lift tickets at Colorado鈥檚 Beaver Creek Resort. For Powder Days,聽she traveled across the Mountain West in search of 鈥渢rue ski bums,鈥� as she calls them, trying to unpack the appeal of a pastime that has been a lifelong obsession聽for her and for so many. She traces skiing鈥檚 history back to the late 19th century, charts the ways in which figures like Warren Miller popularized the dirtbag lifestyle, and examines the precarity of ski bumming at a time when climate change, economic inequality, and the corporatization of ski areas are making the sport鈥檚 future increasingly uncertain. The book is tinged with a complicated nostalgia for Hansman鈥檚 own years as a ski bum: she writes vividly about the the rush of dropping into a chute, but she鈥檚 also honest about skiing鈥檚 darker sides, from its sexism and racism to the mental health and substance abuse issues that plague mountain towns. Its themes will be familiar to experienced skiers, but even if you鈥檝e never put on a pair of skis, Powder Days聽provides an engaging introduction to the past, present, and future of the activity.
Today, we鈥檙e sharing an excerpt of the book on聽翱耻迟蝉颈诲别听Online, and later this week, we鈥檒l be publishing a review by 国产吃瓜黑料 correspondent Tracy Ross. At the end of the month, we鈥檒l post an interview with Hansman exclusively for 国产吃瓜黑料+ members (if you鈥檙e not yet a member, sign up here to read all our members-only stories and get additional perks like two free books from and access to the Warren Miller film library).
To join the conversation about聽Powder Days,聽head over to our , where we鈥檒l be posting weekly discussion prompts starting next Tuesday (and, as usual, chatting about everything else we鈥檝e been reading this month). If you鈥檙e not on Facebook, you can always send us a note with your thoughts on the book or a question for the author at letters@outsideim.com.