For less than the cost of a newstand magazine, ski freaks, mountain lovers and word nerds can get their fill of the year’s best feature writing, thanks to the debut release of Skiing The Edge, a collection of stories from top ski and travel writers from around the world, including Whistler writers and festival regulars, GD Maxwell, Leslie Anthony, Michel Beaudry and Lisa Richardson. Whistler also stars in Lori Knowles account of riding the old Peak Chair in a blizzard and Gerry Wingenbach’s tale of life in the Whistler lock-up.
Anyone who’s been stupid enough to try it knows that standing on the back of someone’s skis and trying to slide makes for a Wild Ride. This brand new anthology, rounding up true tales from 20 of the best ski and snowboard writers in the game, is exponentially wilder – given that the madmen and women in the driver’s seat are hyperactively articulating the entire adventure as you go. (That means, shutting your eyes and holding on for grim life won’t help a bit.) Still, if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to spend a night in the Whistler lock-up, be caught in an avalanche, dodge gunfire from trigger-happy Lebanese lifties, or be a woman in Boyland, these are your guides. And with credentials like theirs, you can be assured, you’re in good hands.
Skiing The Edge, a brand new collection of tall tales and true about skiing and playing in the mountains, does for ski writing what #longreads is doing for long form journalism, what Utne Reader is doing for the alternative press, what Dave Eggers is doing for contemporary writing with his annual Best American Non Required Reading – it culls out all the fluff and hands you the best feature writing, from the game’s leading ski and lifestyle journalists, on a silver platter.
As the publishing opportunities for long form journalism, features and short stories contract, perhaps “best of” anthologies are going to take their place. The Skiing The Edge experiment suggests an exciting new opportunity for writers. And for readers.
At just $3.99, now available for download on iTunes and Amazon, Skiing The Edge : Humor, Humiliation, Holiness and Heart, edited by Jules Older, will also be available from Sony and Barnes & Noble by the end of December.
