Project Status Home

How's the Book Coming?

After over twenty years (and 8000+ hours) of on-and-off work, my book, Written in the Snows, was finally published by Mountaineers Books. More information about the book can be found here.

Is the History Project Finished?

No. I expect this project to continue as long as I'm involved in Washington ski mountaineering. But the project has reached an important milestone. With minor exceptions, I've digested all the printed material I've collected, from the birth of ski mountaineering in Europe in the 1800s to the present (see references). I'm continuing to review information from web references and personal communications, but in many cases I won't publish notes on these until after the book is finished. I'll just refer to this information as necessary while writing. There are a few additional sources I'd like to dig up, and there probably always will be.

Why Isn't the People Index Complete?

The people index is used to gather scattered references to a person in one place. If a person appears in the history only once, then he or she will probably be listed only in the chronology, not in the people index. There are a number of people whom I either haven't yet contacted, or for whom I haven't yet written interview notes. (See personal communications.) I'll get to them eventually. If you think I've overlooked somebody, please let me know.

Why Isn't the Subject Index Complete?

The subject index is for background information that doesn't fit in the chronology. These subjects may include early explorations, road or ski area developments, land management issues, and topics like equipment, safety and technique. Foreground events such as pioneering ski trips are listed in the chronology. Background information that provides context for the chronology is collected in the subject index.

What Does Undocumented Mean?

Items marked "undocumented" were typically obtained either from personal communications or web references. There is little doubt about the facts involved, but I haven't yet compiled and published notes about them. I may not get around to this until after my book is finished. Several recent reports have this status.

What is a Strawman?

When the previous history of a route is uncertain, then a report may be listed as a strawman. It's been said that the best way to get information on the Internet is not to ask a question, but to post the wrong information. It is hoped that these strawman listings will prompt earlier reports, if any exist.

To offer comments or tips, contact Lowell Skoog.


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Copyright © 2002 Lowell Skoog. All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated: Sun Jan 29 16:43:10 PST 2012