INSTRUCTIONAL

(ESSENTIAL READING)

Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills, The Mountaineers (the climbing bible)

Alpine Climbing, Techniques to Take You Higher, Kathy Cosley and Mark Houston (the classic alpine climbing/mountaineering textbook)

Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering, Martin Volken, Scott Schell, and Margaret Wheeler-Farmer (concise and focused, but rigorous in its depth; an excellent book)

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, Bruce Tremper (the world’s best-selling avalanche education book, from one of the world’s foremost avalanche experts)

The Ski Guide Manual: Advanced Techniques for the Backcountry, Rob Coppolillo (excellent and insightful book: written from a guide’s and/or or team leader’s perspective

Avalanche Essentials, Bruce Tremper (an abbreviated version of the above, covering the core fundamentals of avalanche awareness)

Wilderness Navigation, 3rd Edition, Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & GPS by Mike Burns and Bob Burns.

Training for the Uphill Athlete, A Manual for Mountain Runners and Ski Mountaineers, Steve House, Scott Johnston, and Killian Jornet

Climbing Knots, Nate Fitch and Ron Funderburke (handy pocket guide to essential knots)

GUIDEBOOKS 

Mont Blanc and the Aiguille Rouges, A Guide for Skiers, Anselme Baud (a classic by one of the sport’s great pioneers) French Alps

Mont Blanc Off Piste/Hors Piste, Francois Burnier and Dominique Potard French Alps

Mt. Blanc Freeride, Domenico Guisto and Georgio Passino French Alps

Freeride Verbier, Gilbert Crettaz, French Alps

Teton Skiing, A History and Guide, Thomas Turiano (an American classic) Tetons/Wyoming

Jackson Hole Backcountry Skiers Guide: South, Thomas Turiano Tetons/Wyoming

The Chuting Gallery: A Guide to Steep Skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, Andrew McClean Wasatch, Utah

Ski Mountaineering in the Dolomites, Francesco Tremolada Dolomites, Italy

Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast: 50 Classic Ski Tours in New England and New York, David Goodman U.S. (Northeast)

Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis, John Baldwin Canada

The Art of Shralpinism: Lessons from the Mountains, Jeremy Jones (professional snowboarder/splitboarder; prolific (foot-powered only) big mountain adventurer; frequent subject in his siblings’ Teton Gravity Research ski and snowboard films; founder and president, Jones Snowboards and Protect Our Winters); maybe the best backcountry snowboarding guidebook ever written Global

LEISURE

Beyond the Mountain, Steve House. Fascinating memoir from one of the world’s best and most prolific alpine climbers (recipient of not one, but two Piolet d’Or awards!).

Deep, The Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow, Porter Fox, on the detrimental effects of mass tourism and global warming

The Classic Ski Descents of North America, Chris Davenport, Art Burrows (coffee table ski porn and informative ski mountaineering guide)

Overexposure, Chad Sayers. A beautiful collection of photographs and personal reflections on the life of professional ski mountaineer, surfer, climber, photographer, and all around adventurer.

Higher Love: Skiing the Seven Summits, Kit DesLauriers, compelling memoir from the first person to ski from all of the highest summits on every continent, an incredible accomplishment.

Wild Snow, A Historical Guide to North American Ski Mountaineering, Lou Dawson (Great context and meticulous documentation on the history of backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering in North America, including details of his own exploits)

The Edge of Never: A Skier's Story of Life, Death, and Dreams in the World's Most Dangerous Mountains, William A. Kerig (at once sobering and inspirational)

Mont Blanc Lines, Alex Buisse. A absolutely stunning coffee table book focused on climbing/skiing routes in the Mont-Blanc range with bonus chapters on the Eiger and Matterhorn, “as well as many new, unpublished lines, drawings, action images from a decade of working as a professional adventure photographer in Chamonix, a history of each mountain, and a text by climbers who have a special relationship with each of these peaks.”