Poster: A snowHead
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Not just for snowboarders, this is the inspirational story of a world class athlete who underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 2000, and came back to take the parallel slalom bronze medal in 2002 at Salt Lake.
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One of the pioneers of snowboarding, Klug was diagnosed in 1996 with primary schlerosing cholangitis, the same disease that killed football legend Walter Payton. By the July 2000, the clock was slowly ticking away on his life.
"It just didn't seem fair," Klug wrote in his book. "I was young, in the prime of my life, a world-class athlete and having a phenomenal year . . . but I was dying. Something was wrong here. However, I was also about to get hammered by the lesson that life isn't necessarily fair, no matter how young, or strong, or talented you are."
Klug's book is also a history of snowboarding, offering insights into the sport's beginning and development.
"It's something I wanted to do for a long time, I wanted to document some of the early evolution of snowboarding," he said. |
Above quote from Canada.com article
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[ http://slam.canoe.ca/ quotes from his new book: ] "After all the years of work and then putting up with the cowdoo of FIS politics in order to legitimize our sport as something other than a playground for pot-heads and part-time athletes, in my eyes Ross had literally just pissed it all away in his urine test," Klug wrote.
He also scoffs at Rebagliati's defence he tested positive because he had inhaled second-hand marijuana smoke.
"Those of us who knew Ross rolled our eyes. He was practically Bob Marley on a snowboard," Klug wrote.
The decision to take away Rebagliati's medal was eventually overturned by an appeal panel. It ruled there was no agreement at that time between the International Olympic Committee and the International Ski Federation that marijuana should be treated as a banned substance.
Marijuana has since been included on the banned list. |
Some personal reviews from Amazon.com
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This is simply an amazing story. From beginning to end, it instills a sense of wanting to go out and live life to the fullest. It has everything a great book should. This book will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate life. A great inspirational story, everyone should have this in his or her collection. This book appeals not only to skiers and snowboarders but also across generations. |
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This is one of the most motivational books I have read. If you finish reading this book and aren't totally stoked about attacking life, you need serious help.
Imagine having a dream to be on an Olympic Snowboarding team BEFORE snowboarding was even accepted at most ski resorts, BEFORE snowboarding was even considered a sport. If I learned one thing while reading this book, it was to never tell a kid something is impossible.
I'd highly recommend this book as a present for parents to give their snowboarding teens. It shows how dedication, hard work and never giving up on yourself can be your ticket to anywhere. |
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From the moment I picked up this book I had a tough time putting it down. This book will have you both laughing hysterically and crying. "To The Edge and Back" is not only a truly inspirational story of Chris Klug and his epic story of going from Organ Transplant survivor to Olympic Athlete; it also speaks to the history and character of the sport of snowboarding. From it's beginnings as an "outcast" sport that "will never last" to becoming an Olympic sport, "To the Edge and Back" gives us a peak into what snowboarding (and its athletes) are all about and the obstacles that the sport has had to overcome.
The book tells a story of a dream, and an athlete who refused to ever let go of that dream even while facing head-on the reality of his own impending mortality. Seeing & feeling the impact of organ donation from both sides, both the donor family and the recipient, truly makes this an epic read and a story that needs to be heard/read by all. |
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