The Darkest White

"Eric Blehm offers an insightful perspective on how Craig Kelly became the effortless icon that we all revered as well as sobering details of how his heroic journey tragically ended. The Darkest White is a must read, not just for fans of snowboarding, but for anyone looking for inspiration from an unlikely hero."—Tony HawkFrom Eric Blehm, the bestselling author of The Last Season and Fearless, comes an extraordinary new sports biography in the vein of Into the Wild, the story of the legendary snowboarder Craig Kelly and his death in the 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche—a devastating and controversial tragedy that claimed the lives of seven people.On January 20, 2003, a thunderous crack rang out and a violent tide of snow barreled down the northern Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, burying thirteen skiers and snowboarders. Among them was Craig Kelly—"the Michael Jordan of snowboarding"—a world champion who had propelled the sport into the mainstream before walking away from competitions to rekindle his passion in the untamed alpine wilds of North America.The Darkest White tells the story of Craig Kelly's life, an extraordinary and inspiring true story of a latchkey kid whose athletic prowess and innovations revolutionized winter sports, carried him around the globe, and pushed him into the increasingly extreme world of backcountry snowboarding. It is also a definitive, immersive account of snowboarding history, showing how the sport grew from a minor Gen X cult hobby to Olympic centerpiece and a billion-dollar business full of feuds and rivalries. This mesmerizing tribute is a cautionary portrait of the mountains, of the allure and the glory they offer, and of the avalanches they unleash with unforgiving fury."The most unremittingly exciting book of nonfiction I have come across in recent years. I found myself reading late into recent nights wholly transfixed by every paragraph, every word."—Simon Winchester, New York Times Book ReviewPioneering Snowboarder: Go inside the life of Craig Kelly, the "Michael Jordan of snowboarding," a four-time world champion who walked away from fame to pursue his ultimate passion in the untamed wilds of the mountains.Gripping Narrative Nonfiction: Meticulously researched and told in the vein of Into the Wild, this book chronicles the rise of an icon and the controversial 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche that claimed seven lives.The Birth of an Extreme Sport: Witness the evolution of snowboarding from a rebellious cult hobby into a billion-dollar Olympic centerpiece, complete with the rivalries and innovations that defined a generation.High-Stakes Mountaineering: A powerful and cautionary portrait of the mountains, this tribute explores the breathtaking allure of the backcountry and the unforgiving fury of an avalanche.