Ski Pioneers: Ernie Blake, His Friends, & the Making of Taos Ski Valley

A kaleidoscope of voices, Ski Pioneers focuses on the most  dynamic and colorful characters in the history of American skiing.   Tracing the lives of Taos Ski Valley founder Ernie Blake and his early  skiing friends, this book goes beyond biography to tell the origins of  the downhill sport in the West. Assembling interviews with some of the  greatest names in skiing, Rick Richards describes the making or Ernie  Blake, the man who envisioned a world-class resort in Taos Ski Valley.   He follows Ernie from Europe to New Mexico, recounting events that  shaped Blake's life and changed American skiing.  From the first runs  at Sun Valley to the steeps of Taos today, Richards recreates the  pioneering journeys of the first, innovative skiers in the nation. With  twenty-two chapters of reminiscences, humorous anecdotes, and  commentary, and more than 250 historic and personal photos, Ski  Pioneers is the most detailed look at ski history to be published in  recent decades.