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#1
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Ned Gillette and John Dostal's book
Hi All,
I was wondering if anybody knows what the last edition of Ned Gillette's and John Dostal's "Cross Country Skiing" is. I borrowed it (the '88 edition) from the local library last year and am looking to buy it this year. Just browsing amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca over here, and am getting conflicting "last" editions like '94 and '96. While on the topic, are there any other comparable "Bibles" on Cross Country skiing that you'd recommend? Off to wax and enjoy the day! Mike. |
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#2
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The best XC how-to?
I was surprised to read on the back cover of the last edition I saw that
Gillette had been shot and killed on an expedition, but I forget the date. He was a character and a fine media ambassador for outdoor sports. He seemed to have a sense of humor, at least he always seemed to be jokey when photographed. Like he was having fun. I've scanned as many of the how-to's as I could and basically concluded that Gillette/Dostal is the best all-rounder. That said, it still seems to lack something. Maybe it seems a little too low-key in layout, like it's hiding its refreshing subject under the boring hood of standard boilerplate how-to bookitis. Perhaps XC needs a break-thru how-to along the lines of Richard's Ultimate, where the subject just LEAPS out at you. Today's layout options are so flexible that we can find one that matches the joy of this subject and the writers involved. Of course we don't need a fancy layout, just something that lets the spirit of the sport come thru. Maybe Gillette and Dostal, even tho they're good, aren't really the break-thru team as writers in some way. Those who can lift up a sport in the public eye are rare. Caldwell is as charming and quietly inspiring as Eugene Sloan was for cycling. Caldwell with his Putney School brought XC down to earth, and also uplifted it, in a hearty, modest, enthusiastic New England college way---lots of great Backyard trailbuilding and training ideas in that book! Maybe Gillette and Dostal being a combo of pro-adventurer and pro-writer put them a bit out of reach. Gillette's adventures, and those of Jan Reynolds who he did a lot of adventuring with, basically just aren't democratic. They're ostensibly about robust activity but really it's more about trust funds, at least that's the feel I got. There's a we're-special Outside-mag upper-class exclusive feel about their jetset skiing. Totally unlike Caldwell's "here's how you set a track around your high school fields" feel. Even though Caldwell's world may also have been uppercrust, his ideas were accessible to all. But Hal Painter captured the spirit of XC like no one else---but his isn't a how-to---he includes far more culture and even romance in his work. Gillette is pictured in it, too, having fun. -- Jeff Potter **** *Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture... ...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies... ...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up! ...original downloadable music ... and articles galore! plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923 |
#3
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The best XC how-to?
It's a totally different level "how-to" than the Gillette-Dostal book,
but the Subura team is giving out a cute little booklet with sequential photos of skate technique on each page, that can be flipped like a little animation book. Quite neat. I think they had a little all-around guide also. And supposedly the Unlimited DVD is really good -- both technically and in terms of captivating users. JT |
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