Dragons in the Snow

Avalanche Detectives and the Race to Beat Death in the Mountains

De: Ed Power

Narrado por: Gary Bennett

Edward Power sets the listener down in the midst of a February 2017 blizzard that raked Utah's Uinta Range as nine snowboarders made their way into the backcountry for a day of intense adventure. As the boarders were taking their first turns, expert avalanche forecaster Craig Gordon was tracking the storm and its impact, posting one of the most dire avalanche forecasts and warnings in his career.

In Dragons in the Snow, Power delves into the research and science behind avalanche forecasting and rescue, weaving in the art of backcountry skiing as well as dramatic tales of avalanche accidents, rescues, and recoveries. And he paints compelling portraits of the men and women who have made the study of avalanches their life's work. The tales told by these avalanche forecasters, as well as the stories of the backcountry riders who may "wake the dragon" make for not just a compelling listen, but also a powerful tool for raising avalanche awareness in everyone who plays in the winter backcountry.

©2020 Edward Power (P)2020 Tantor

a book for back country folks

Worth the read for Utah residents in back country. good stories in the book.

It was an okay listen

The narrator was easy to listen to. The book wasn't so much about avalanches as the personal lives of forecasters, guides and avalanche victims or survivors. So if you listen to it with that in mind it's a pretty decent book.

Pace is impossibly slow

This is an important and interesting topic, but this story is excruciatingly slow-going. We had a first go and then I tried again in case we were too harsh. Over 30 minutes, I was still waiting for an avalanche forecaster to actually write his forecast. I heard about his favorite coffee and his pet parrot and endless other bits of pointless padding. I gave up.