“Winter’s Children: A Celebration of Nordic Skiing” by Ryan Rodgers is the story of Nordic skiing in the Midwest including its star athletes and races, and its place in the region’s social fabric of winter recreation. The book provides a look at the earliest ski teams and touring clubs; the evolution of XC skis, gear and fashion; and the ongoing effort to establish and maintain a vast trail network across the Minnesota state park system. 400 pages illustrated with vintage photography and ski posters. University of Minnesota Press www.upress.umn.edu/book-division
“Celebrate Winter: An Olympian’s Stories of a Life in Nordic Skiing” by John Morton is a collection of articles, commentaries, and stories covering his two decades as a Nordic ski competitor including coach for Nordic skiing and biathlon. There are behind-the-scenes perspectives of 10 Winter Olympic games that Morton has attended as an athlete, coach, biathlon team leader, chief of course for biathlon events and an enthusiastic fan of U.S. cross country skiers. Celebrate Winter is available in paperback from Ingram or Amazon ISBN 9780578839127 and as an ebook for Kindle and other tablets.
"Cross-Country Skiing" by J. Scott McGee with excellent photographs by Luca Diana is the newest edition on the topic and it is easy-to-understand with plenty of photos. It is among the Falcon Guides and Basic Illustrated series from Morris Book Publishing. McGee describes equipment selection, learning the basic techniques, planning and safety and 100 pages of everything about cross country skiing.
McGee is out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming and he knows his stuff even though he omitted XCSkiResorts.com from his list of websites. This book is $12.95 and can be purchased at www.falcon.com.
Check out these books reviews at Nordic Walking for Total Fitness Book or The Search for Dragon Proof Snow - A New Children’s Tale or Your Brain on Nature - Book Review of The Nature Fix
"Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Bruce Tremper is a new edition that is easy-to-understand and accessible for snowsport novices as well as technically insightful snow safety veterans. Approximately 150 people die in avalanches each year and thousands more are lucky enough to survive them without injuries.
This manual is ideal for backcountry xc skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers and others and it is organized according to the structure of American Avalanche Association classes and it has been reviewed by peer experts.
Staying Alive covers different avalanche types, judging terrain's hazard level, routefinding and safe travel essentials. Rescue strategies and an analysis of human nature versus danger is also included. The 304-page paperbound book has 235 charts and illustrations and 60 photos, and it is available from The Mountaineers Books for $18.95.
"The Story of Modern Skiing" by John Fry is a book viewed by ski industry insiders as the definitive account of the revolution in ski equipment, technique, resorts, and competition that took place after World War II. It is 408 pages, has 86 photos and maps, a timeline, and an index of more than 1,000 names and places. Jean Claude Killy calls it a remarkable memoir and history of the sport.
The book manages to capture the essence of xc skiing in about 15 pages (though there are a few xc ski writers that could create a separate book on the topic of modern xc skiing), but the book would be a monument to anyone that is into skiing.
You can get it on Amazon but for a personally signed copy send a check of $29.95 ($29 for additional copies) to author John Fry, Editorial, 23 East Lake Drive, Katonah NY 10536. Include the name (s) of the person (s) whom you want the book dedicated to, plus address where you want the book (s) shipped to.
Another resource book of xc ski and snowshoe trails by First Ascent Press is "Ski Trails of Southwest Montana." This 112-page book by Melynda Harrison has 30 xc ski and snowshoe trails around the Greater Yellowstone region of Big Sky, Bozeman, and the Paradise Valley. The book is $16.95 and can be ordered at http://www.firstascentpress.com/ski-trails-volume1.html
The book "Cross Country Skiing: Building Skills for Fun and Fitness" by Steve Hindman is available from The Mountaineers Books. Steve is a long-time Northwest PSIA certified instructor and former National Nordic Demo Team, who participated in the XCSkiResorts.com Top 10 Page panel of experts.
"Cross-Country Skiing: Building Skills for Fun and Fitness" provides techniques demonstrated in step-by-step photos, special learning activities to reinforce instruction, sidebars for trouble-shooting common problems and matching technique to terrain and snow conditions and tips for the whole family including 10 activities for teaching kids to xc ski with fun and games.
The book acknowledgement of contributors and photographers is a virtual who's who in the xc ski industry. It is 240 pages and it can be purchased for $19.95 at www.mountaineersbooks.org