Located 60 country miles from Interstate 95, Carrabassett Valley, Maine doesn’t look like a classic rural New England town. Only a handful of buildings pre-date 1950. Settlement is concentrated in two areas separated by six woodsy miles: “the valley,” with its 1960s A-frames and camps, and “the mountain,” where the Sugarloaf ski resort has built a maze of contemporary condominium and housing developments, along with hotels, restaurants, and boutiques. But with just 673 year-round residents, the town of Carrabassett Valley — not Sugarloaf — owns a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course, a 2,000-acre ski-touring and mountain-bike park, an airport, a riverside rail trail, an advanced fitness center with indoor climbing wall and skate park, a handsome modern library, and a park with outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and playground. Yet the town’s tax rate has never exceeded $8.40. That’s because Carrabassett Valley doesn’t just look different from other towns; it does things differently. The two dozen ski bums who founded the town in 1972 laid out a vision for an outdoor recreation economy achieved through creative investment, and townspeople have focused unwaveringly on pursuing it ever since. Veteran journalist Virginia M. Wright worked with the Carrabassett Valley History Committee to delve into the surprising history of a town most passersby think is just Sugarloaf. She looks at the early days of when it was created, at how the town's unique approach helped it weather both boom times and down turns. Through it all, the town has become one of New England's premiere outdoor destinations.

*A Boston Globe Bestseller!* *An Outside Magazine Book Club Pick!* *Winner of the International Ski Association's Ullr Book Award!* "A sparkling account."—Wall Street Journal An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America's most preeminent ski journalists The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II, the sport took hold across the country, driven by adventurers seeking the rush of freedom that only cold mountain air could provide. As skiing gained in popularity, mom-and-pop backcountry hills gave way to groomed trails and eventually the megaresorts of today. Along the way, the pioneers and diehards—the ski bums—remained the beating heart of the scene. Veteran ski journalist and former ski bum Heather Hansman takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the hidden history of American skiing, offering a glimpse into an underexplored subculture from the perspective of a true insider. Hopping from Vermont to Colorado, Montana to West Virginia, Hansman profiles the people who have built their lives around a cold-weather obsession. Along the way she reckons with skiing's problematic elements and investigates how the sport is evolving in the face of the existential threat of climate change.

Award-winning journalist rafts down the Green River, revealing a multifaceted look at the present and future of water in the American West. The Green River, the most significant tributary of the Colorado River, runs 730 miles from the glaciers of Wyoming to the desert canyons of Utah. Over its course, it meanders through ranches, cities, national parks, endangered fish habitats, and some of the most significant natural gas fields in the country, as it provides water for 33 million people. Stopped up by dams, slaked off by irrigation, and dried up by cities, the Green is crucial, overused, and at-risk, now more than ever. Fights over the river’s water, and what’s going to happen to it in the future, are longstanding, intractable, and only getting worse as the West gets hotter and drier and more people depend on the river with each passing year. As a former raft guide and an environmental reporter, Heather Hansman knew these fights were happening, but she felt driven to see them from a different perspective—from the river itself. So she set out on a journey, in a one-person inflatable pack raft, to paddle the river from source to confluence and see what the experience might teach her. Mixing lyrical accounts of quiet paddling through breathtaking beauty with nights spent camping solo and lively discussions with farmers, city officials, and other people met along the way, Downriver is the story of that journey, a foray into the present—and future—of water in the West.

As a recent college graduate and fledging newspaper reporter in the Lake Tahoe area, Jeremy Evans became immersed in ski bum culture?a carefree lifestyle whose mantra was simply: ?Ski as much as possible.? His snowboarding suffered when he left for a job in the Portland area; and when, at twenty-six, he suffered a stroke, he reexamined his priorities, quit his job, moved back to Tahoe, and threw himself into snowboarding. But while he had been away, the culture had changed. This book is Evans?s paean to the disappearing culture of the ski bum. A fascinating look at a world far removed from the larger culture, it is also a curious account of a passion for powder and what its disappearance means. ø Evans looks at several prominent ski towns in the West (including Crested Butte, Jackson Hole, Telluride, Lake Tahoe, Park City, and Mammoth) and the ski bums who either flourished or fled. He chronicles the American West transformed by rising real estate costs, an immigrant workforce, misguided values, and corporate-owned resorts. The story he tells is that of quintessentially American characters?rejecting materialism, taking risks, following their own path?and of the glories and pitfalls their lifestyle presents.

The first investigative analysis of how corporate interests gained control of America's most popular winter sport, and how they are gutting ski towns, the natural mountain environment, and skiing itself in the desperate search for short-term profit.

Biff America is a wonderfully funny mix of Andy Rooney and Garrison Keillor. From low-flow toilets to prostate pride, knee surgery to avalanche fatalities, gay marriage to schoolyard bullies, Biff America poignantly writes what the American people need to know. Through it all, Biff America has a gift for revealing the uplifting realities of modern life and, sometimes, his humor will make you blow beer through your nose. With an introduction by John Nichols, author of THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, and copious illustrations of Biff in action. REVIEWS: "Whether it is on stage, in print or on top of a fourteen-thousand-foot summit, Biff America can make you laugh, cry and feel nauseous-all at the same time." -Rachel Dratch, cast member, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE "Don't let any of that touchy feely crap fool you; Biff America can be a mean drunk, a weasel when confronted and is an unstable individual. He still owes me $67." -Brad Pitt, Baraboo, WI "Biff America's writing is provocative, edgy, insightful and, most important, absorbing. He has a unique gift for mixing comedy with pathos; his observations on life, politics, his family, himself or anything else that strike his fancy are uncannily on point, often with a devilish wit." -NBC "Beneath his blue-collar sensibilities, rough-hewn mountain-town ethos and snort-your-morning-coffee dorm-room humor, Biff America is a surprisingly refined and nuanced writer who finds amazing insights in everyday life. Unrestrained, ribald and slightly off-kilter, he stands as a mad prophet of our times. George W. Bush should read this book." -DENVER POST "The columns in this rich collection form one of the more thoughtful and laugh-provoking journeys that I've taken in a long spell. Think of Lake Wobegon Days meets The Little World of Don Camillo. There's a biting satire aplenty throughout these pages, but it is always couched in a truly humane understanding of our species' tragic-comic fallibility... I found myself repeatedly moved, and moved deeply, by these poignant and funny stories." - John Nichols, author of THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Boston-born writer, comedian and skier, Jeffrey Bergeron, under the alias Biff America, was the recipient of the 2005 Colorado Press Association award for both humor and serious column writing. Recently elected to the Breckenridge City Council on the homeland security and medicinal marijuana platform, Bergeron skis more days than he works and lives in Breckenridge with his hot wife, Ellen. He can be seen on TV, heard on radio, and read regularly in various magazines and newspapers. CONTENTS: Chapter 1: Recreation Chapter 2: Family Chapter 3: People Chapter 4: Dead People Chapter 5: Politics Chapter 6: Connubial Bliss Chapter 7: God Chapter 8: Sex, Love and Body Parts Don't miss out on your Biff fix - get Biff America: Steep, Deep, and Dyslexic today!

Part memoir, part observational humour, this seriously funny book, documents the author's transition from a city living executive, to a garage dwelling ski bum in the French Alps. It will be enjoyed by anyone who has either been on a skiing holiday, is thinking of running a ski chalet, wants to be a ski instructor or is planning a midlife crisis - it's not really about skiing.

As a recent college graduate and fledging newspaper reporter in the Lake Tahoe area, Jeremy Evans became immersed in ski bum culture--a carefree lifestyle whose mantra was simply: "Ski as much as possible." His snowboarding suffered when he left for a job in the Portland area; and when, at twenty-six, he suffered a stroke, he reexamined his priorities, quit his job, moved back to Tahoe, and threw himself into snowboarding. But while he had been away, the culture had changed. This book is Evans's paean to the disappearing culture of the ski bum. A fascinating look at a world far removed from the larger culture, it is also a curious account of a passion for powder and what its disappearance means. Evans looks at several prominent ski towns in the West (including Crested Butte, Jackson Hole, Telluride, Lake Tahoe, Park City, and Mammoth) and the ski bums who either flourished or fled. He chronicles the American West transformed by rising real estate costs, an immigrant workforce, misguided values, and corporate-owned resorts. The story he tells is that of quintessentially American characters--rejecting materialism, taking risks, following their own path--and of the glories and pitfalls their lifestyle presents.

For ski bums and non-skiers who enjoy the snow, here is a cozy winter cookbook of 65+ hearty recipes, plus beautiful photography that captures the après-ski culture and mountain town life. Après-ski is more than just an afternoon beer in the lodge. It's an opportunity to gather with friends and family over delicious food and drinks during the cold winter months. This cozy cookbook invites home cooks of all levels to embrace the après culture all season long, whether they're the first skier on the slopes in the morning or a nonskier who prefers to snuggle up by the fireplace. There are recipes for every meal—because yes, you really can "après all day"—including Apple Pie Oatmeal as pre-ski fuel, Tater Tot Nachos, a.k.a. "Tatchos" for an indulgent snack on the couch, Classic Beef Stew with Cheesy Garlic Bread for a family potluck, and a well-deserved Kitchen Sink Skillet Cookie to end the day. There is a section with helpful tips on cooking at altitude, plus fun sidebars featuring must-know ski lingo, ideas for game night, and more. Ski bums, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who lives in cold climates will appreciate the hearty recipes and beautiful photography of mountain scenery. FOR ANYONE IN COLD CLIMES: Après-ski isn't just for skiers, and neither is this cookbook—anyone can après, at any time of day! The recipes in this book are perfect for anyone who lives somewhere with cold winters or loves the mountains or the idea of mountain living. GOOD GIFT FOR A RANGE OF FOLKS: With beautiful mountain scenery and photos of charming ski towns, Après All Day encapsulates a way of life. This is a lovely gift for anyone who likes to cook, as well as those who enjoy or aspire to an outdoorsy life in the mountains. COMPELLING PACKAGE: Après All Day is full of evocative photography: a stack of blankets, signage on the slopes, chairlifts in the fog, snow-dusted pine trees, and more. The approachable recipes, informal tone, and aspirational photography will make you feel as if you are enjoying a ski weekend in the mountains with your best friend. Perfect for: • Home cooks who love the mountains and mountain dwellers who like to cook • Skiers and snowboarders of all levels • Anyone who enjoys snow activities and the après-ski culture • Those who live in places with cold winters • Armchair travelers