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Two Planks and a Passion: The Dramatic History of Skiing [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

by Roland Huntford (Author)

2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

Hardcover: 436 pages
Publisher: Hambledon Continuum; illustrated edition edition (29 Sep 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1847252362
ISBN-13: 978-1847252364
Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 3.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,230 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#1 in	Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Winter Sports > Skiing > Cross Country Skiing
#4 in	Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Reference > History of Sports
#9 in	Books > History > Social & Economic History

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Product Description

Predating the wheel, the ski has played an important role in our history. This is brilliantly brought to life in this engaging book. Roland Huntford's brilliant history begins 20,000 years ago in the last ice age on the icy tundra of an unformed earth. Man is a traveling animal, and on these icy slopes skiing began as a means of survival.That it has developed into the leisure and sporting pursuit of choice by so much of the globe bears testament to its elemental appeal. In polar exploration, it has changed the course of history. Elsewhere, in war and peace, it has done so too. The origins of skiing are bound up with the emergence of modern man and the world we live in today.

About the Author

Roland Huntford is the world's foremost authority on the polar expeditions and their protagonists. The biographer of Shackleton and Nansen, his other books include Scott and Amudsen: The Last Place on Earth and The Coldest March: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Journey.

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	82% buy the item featured on this page: Two Planks and a Passion: The Dramatic History of Skiing 2.6 out of 5 stars (5) �15.21
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

2.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Two Planks and 'Even more Bias', 25 Jan 2009

By	Jon Shipton "Jon" (United kingdom) - See all my reviews

'The Dramatic History of Skiing' Eh?

This is a veiled attempt at a continued 'Scott' bashing, and hailing 'Ammundsen' again!!!

The history bits about the actuall skiing are excellent, but this man hates 'Captain Scott' so much, and the attitude being himself as 'Norwegian' as the Norwegians themselves, is repeatative & tiresome.

The (ahem) hidden agenda is so obvious as be totally transparent to anyone who knows this hateful man's work. Tedious and romantic to anyone who doesn't!

One star, only because zero stars is not an option.

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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Social History, War, Sport, and Drama , 15 Jan 2009

By	David P. Oreilly Joint "David O'Reilly" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This work is more than impressive in its scope. It deals with the history of skiing from a social, military, political as well as pure sporting perspective. Its thoroughly researched facts naming people and places with authority give it great texture. The drama that unfolds in the (failed) Russian invasion of Finland in 1939 is worth the price of admission alone.
The early influence of the British in Alpine competition skiing will surprise some.
Great Read

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History of Nordic skiing is history of ALL skiing, 24 May 2009

By	Martina Watson "BooksRMe" (Surrey, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In response to Dr M. Law's review, can I just say that the history of skiing IS by default the history of nordic skiing. As the ancestor of skiing per se, it came into existence long, long before Alpine skiing, a derivative that was developed at the end of the 19th century, whereas nordic skiing has been around since prehistoric times. All the later forms of skiing, including Alpine skiing, ski skating, ski jumping etc are relatively modern modifications of the orginal. But thanks for the review - I am now assured it is a proper history of skiing. I am definitely going to order it!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Review from The Guardian
A review in The Guardian seems to eloquently put some of the concerns expressed here and which I found myself:

"Two Planks and a Passion - surprisingly, considering... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Tim Hurst

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh dear..
Perhaps a better subtitle would have been "The Boring History Of Nordic Skiing". Dull and biased towards the author's love of the Nordic disciplines, the exponential rise of... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Dr. M. Law

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