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The Snow Tourist: A Search for the World's Purest, Deepest Snowfall
Combining on-the-slopes experience with off-trail research, author Charlie English follows in the footsteps of the Romantic poets across the Alps, learns how to build igloos with the Inuit on Baffin Island, examines snow-patches in the Cairngorms to detect signs of global warming, and tests his mettle on some of the most perilous peaks on Earth. Along the way, he meets up...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
November 10th 2009
by Counterpoint
(first published 2008)
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It is snowing again, so it seems appropriate to write this review now. This was another of the snow-themed books I read during Britain’s “Big Freeze.” I enjoyed it, and as a compendium of many disparate snow-related themes it’s quite fascinating—Charlie English’s rather crazed (and somewhat ill-prepared) snow-seeking trips set him up to discuss igloo-building, classical European paintings and modern snow crystal photography, climate change and ice age history, and the science of snowflakes and a...more
An interesting book which looks at the phenomenon of snow from many different perspectives. English juxtaposes his discussions of art, culture, and the science and history of snow with his own adventures of climbing snowy mountains in Switzerland, building igloos in North Canada etc This does seem forced and by the numbers at times, but his writing is clear and honest and you emerge with a renewed sense of wonder of snow and its history, characteristics and influence on so many of our cultures.
Written by someone who loves snow, this book helped me appreciate snow a little more (something I need help with). The author travels to snow-significant places and intersperses his travelogue with facts and histories.
This book is great!
I grabbed this book at random from the library shelf and I love it!
It's everything a nature experience on paper should be. The descriptions are well crafted, exciting and well written. I get caught up in the author's travel story and then suddenly realize that I just learned how to survive a blizzard, the history of the Inuit and how snowflakes are made.
Normally, as I read this type of travel-story book, I skip around and get bored after a couple chapters. I read this book fr...more
I grabbed this book at random from the library shelf and I love it!
It's everything a nature experience on paper should be. The descriptions are well crafted, exciting and well written. I get caught up in the author's travel story and then suddenly realize that I just learned how to survive a blizzard, the history of the Inuit and how snowflakes are made.
Normally, as I read this type of travel-story book, I skip around and get bored after a couple chapters. I read this book fr...more
Didn't actually finish reading it . . but that was because Spring arrived and I just couldn't bring myself to read about snow some more. As memoirs go this one is more original than most.
A very interesting book about the author's fascination with snow. There is history, science, culture, tradition and travel in this book which is divided into chapters based around each trip made by the author in pursuit of the perfect experience of snow. The topics range from the molecular makeup of a snowflake and how that was discovered to igloo building, skiing and mountaineering.
Apr 22, 2012
Edward H. Busse, III
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-owned
I love snow so this was a natural for me. Mr. English takes his personal love of everything snow and goes on a journey across the Northern Hemisphere to discover it. He meets lots of interesting people along the way and learns how they interact with the snow. I liked this book a great deal because it was personal for the author. The book contained tons and tons of interesting facts/tidbits about snow - scientific, recreational, culture, mythology, art, history, militarily - a more than a few of...more
Such apt reading. I started this on the day the snow fell, and assumed it would have melted long before I finished the book - I was wrong.
Glad I got to read it with the white stuff surrounding me. It helped to feel less resentful towards it while reading of someone's genuine passion for it. Although it felt a little odd when he talked about the lack of recent UK snow!
Nicely written throughout, and broken down into decent sections that didn't dwell to long on any one thing. Engaging prose that ge...more
Glad I got to read it with the white stuff surrounding me. It helped to feel less resentful towards it while reading of someone's genuine passion for it. Although it felt a little odd when he talked about the lack of recent UK snow!
Nicely written throughout, and broken down into decent sections that didn't dwell to long on any one thing. Engaging prose that ge...more
An informative read about the history, science and cultural impact of snow. It's more interesting facts than 'story' so wouldn't recommend if you don't really like snow!
Lettura di per sè gradevole, ma devo bacchettare l'editore Donzelli per i troppi refusi, alcuni veramente macroscopici.
Jan 24, 2013
stefanie
marked it as to-read
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Aren't snow machines those things they use at ski r...more
Jan 14, 2011 12:29pm
Jan 14, 2011 01:35pm