On the Peaked Bookshelf: Lonely Planet’s Epic Snow Adventures of the World

The company published its first travel guide in 1975 and has produced hundreds and hundreds of titles since, so it’s no surprise Lonely Planet gets it right. This title, while not 100% focused on skiing and boarding, features, as promised, some epic winter scenes.

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There’s all the stuff you’d expect – the big resorts in the USA and Canada, France’s top towns, New Zealand’s finest peaks – but the editors have also unearthed so many unusual destinations (and excellent writers who know all about them), we’re going to have to restart thinking our travel plans for the coming year. Who knew, for instance, that Kyrgyzstan has conditions not unlike Utah, served by 20 or so Soviet-era ski resorts? Or that you can ski in Scotland and Spain? There is also a chance you may find us being pulled by a pack of huskies through the Andes next time we’re in South America or riding fat bikes through the snow-covered Canadian Rockies on our next trip to Banff.

All the essays in the book are written in first person, really immersing you in the scene, while there’s plenty of extra info that covers the practical, planning side and similar types of adventures in other parts of the world. There are also essays by local legends who reveal the secrets of their favourite mountains. For instance, legendary snowboarder Bryan Iguchi introduces his beloved Jackson Hole, while Freeride World Tour champion Arianna Tricomi reveals why her hometown village in the Dolomites is still among herfavourite terrain.

Of course, all this goodness is accompanied by some incredible photography. Leave it on the coffee table to dip into for inspiration when ever you feel the urge to book a plane ticket.

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