 Poster: A snowHead
|
Last week OH bought me the book "Tracking the Wild Coomba" though she nicked it before I had a chance to start it !
I did not know him personally, though he'd often be in the bar at the Edelweiss and would sometimes be in our conversation group.
When I heard initially about the tragic accident I was numbed, especially so as I'd had dinner with Chad (who fell and Doug tried to rescue) at a friends in La Grave only a couple of weeks before.
For a good six or seven years after the accident Doug's car was still in the lift car park where he left it that fateful day, and it was always a little disconcerting to see it there each time you went up.
Few years back Doug's wife gave the car to Jo Vallone.
So back to the book, this morning I just received a newsletter sent from Pelle at the Skiers Lodge, and in the email there are a couple of paragraphs about the book (see below) .
Pelle would have known Doug very well and this link http://www.trackingthewildcoomba.com/ is well worth watching as the author Robert Cocuzzo talks about Doug and the book and the last few minutes bring a tear to the eye.
Arguably the greatest adventure skier to ever live, Doug Coombs pioneered hundreds of first descents down the biggest, steepest, most dangerous mountains in the world. He graced magazine covers, wowed moviegoers, became the face of top ski companies, and ascended as the king of big mountain extreme skiing.
His place at the top was confirmed in 1991 when he won the very first World Extreme Ski Championships in Valdez, Alaska. Yet perhaps Coombs’s greatest legacy was as a guide, leading people on wild adventures and giving them the best days of their lives. Now, his story is told for the first time in Robert Cocuzzo's Tracking the Wild Coomba.
Beyond a biography, Tracking the Wild Coomba is an adventure story that takes readers into the extreme mountains where Doug Coombs pioneered a new era of skiing. From the Whites of New Hampshire, to the Tetons of Wyoming, to the Chugach of Alaska, to the Alps of France—author Robert Cocuzzo followed Coombs’s tracks around the world over the course of several years. By skiing some of the runs Coombs skied, spending time with his friends and family, and living in the mountain towns where Coombs made his home, Cocuzzo pieces together what made Doug Coombs one of the greatest skiers of all time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
A guy who everyone speaks highly of. From Aspen Extreme to the Q+P, via pioneering modern heli- skiing he contributed a hell of a lot to what skiing and ski culture is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
@Weathercam, thanks for the link , will look forward to reading this book
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
The term legend is sometimes used loosely these days... but not in Doug's case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Very moving
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
DC in the chase scene in Aspen Extreme:
https://vimeo.com/7929777
I love his jump turns within the first 30 seconds - his balance and timing are just superb.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 29-09-16 6:40; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And all on long ass, skinny skis.
Leg end
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nice!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
