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Our guest is Eric Blehm, author of The Darkest White. We think every snowboarder and skier should read it, and today, we go behind the scenes with Eric to talk about the legend Craig Kelly; Eric’s extensive research on this project; and why The Darkest White is really (at least) 6 books in 1.
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TOPICS & TIMES:
What Inspired The Darkest White? (4:13)
The Six Aspects of Craig’s Story (8:11)
Avalanche Education (22:45)
Early Snowboarding Culture & Companies (27:05)
The Darkest White vs. Eric’s Previous Books? (34:54)
Keeping Stories Alive (44:24)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS (click each to learn more):
You both sold me – I bought the book (plus Fearless).
w.r.t. the “dryness” of existing avalanche-safety literature I found Bruce Tremper’s “Avalanche Essentials: A Step-by-Step System for Safety and Survival” to be reasonably accessible, at least to my software engineer brain. It’s Tremper, so some of the heavy snow science stuff is there (that’s who he is and what he does), but compared to his other book “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain” it’s been restructured to emphasize behavioral factors and practical procedures. It’s new enough to include things like the extended column test, which is a plus compared to some “classic” literature.
As a side note, I was surprised when I realized that neither the current “gold standard” quick snowpack stability test (the ECT) nor the current emphasis on cognitive/behavioral factors in avalanche education were things when Craig Kelly died. It seems to me like it was just yesterday, but a lot has changed in how we think about these accidents.
For sure. Also, Tremper’s “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain” has been my go-to book. I ought to check out “Avalanche Essentials.”
‘Staying Alive’ is an awesome book, and IMO more comprehensive than ‘Essentials’. It’s still my go-to as well, but I know lots of people who just don’t get along with it, and who seem to do better with ‘Essentials’ and similarly structured references.
I also read ‘Fearless. Wow is that book a tear-jerker (in a good way, because the content and writing are so powerful) at the end. And the anthill. OMG the anthill.
Because it’s me and I always string-reply:
I think that ‘Fearless’ is one of those unique books that tells the story of deeply religious people and a mostly-religious community (with some exceptions like Christian) in a way that’s respectful and understanding without proselytizing, and I’m saying that as basically an atheist who tends to notice it when it’s there. It also does a really good job of presenting how evangelical Christianity was instrumental in Adam’s voyage from crack addiction to “hero status” by even SEAL Team 6 standards, and IMO it ends up being thought provoking without seemingly even trying to do so in that regard. My $0.02.
Read the book in one go this afternoon – it’s awesome. Highly recommended to all.
I have only one fact-check nit (and it really is a nit): The helicopter Schmidt and Kelly rode in Siberia was a Mi-8, not a Sikorsky. For some obscene reasons I know my Soviet helos, and I’ve seen the movie :-) That’s literally the only thing in the book that triggered cognitive dissonance for me, and that’s saying something.
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb1AQ4m43tU&t=915s
Thanks for this conversation and recommending this book. Super intriguing read, finished it in a few days.
Really glad you enjoyed it. Given the texts and emails I’ve received – plus the comments here about the book – everyone who starts it seem to feel the same as you.