The God of Skiing

by Peter Kray

The God of Skiing, a breakthrough novel by award-winning journalist Peter Kray, is being celebrated as the most accurate, action-packed, soul-stirring book ever written about the sport of skiing. Reveling in the exploits of the legendary Tack Strau, an iconic East Coast racer whose stunning wins and spectacular crashes made him an instant celebrity on the NCAA race circuit, the book reads like a love letter to a sport built on gravity, speed, and the heartbreaking thrill of cold acceleration. When Strau suffers a potentially fatal fall after being signed by the U.S. Ski Team, then disappears, the book takes off on a whirlwind tour of the sport’s most storied slopes in an effort to find him. “Peter Kray is one of those special authors who pulls you into a story with every sentence, description and chapter,” said Porter Fox, author of Deep; the Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow. “Only a lifelong skier and writer like Kray could pull off the greatest ski novel of all time.” “A journal full of love, loss, and laughter…clearly conveying a deep love of skiing” – Mike Rogge, Powder Magazine “Kray captures this culture like no one has before. And yes, others have tried.” – Derek Taylor, Grind TV “This book speaks to the soul of the skier.” – Grayson Schaffer, Outside Magazine “The God of Skiing is good crazy—a mix of autobiography and fantasy that’ll have you both nodding your head and asking, ‘did that really happen?’” Lou Dawson, WildSnow “Kray’s delicious description of skiing, the addictive pull of gravity, and the fear we all face, is poetic and powerful.” – Heather Burke, Boston.com “Kray captures the essence of those blissful moments in between turns, face shots and fleeting glimpses of perfect nature—and delivers it to the reader as only he can.” – Mike Horn, Stokelab

Genres: Adventure

179 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Cooper Denny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5. I enjoyed the scenes depicting ski bum life sleeping on couches drinking beer and then going to the mountain all over again the next day. The descriptions of random women in every other chapter were a bit over the top and reminded me of Bukowski in a bad way. Everything was a bit too over romanticized for me. Good read while you are snowed in waiting to ski somewhere i suppose.

[Lauren Bergen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Every day that you don’t ski, you never get back again.” - Klaus Obermeyer

Less a novel, and more a skiing fever dream.

[Jason Bernstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Growing up skiing in the same generation with Kray, his settings, scenes, characters and vibe resonated with me. But the writing is that of a middling high school student -- endless nonsensical metaphors and similes attempting to sounds profound or poetic or both.

[Colin Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best ski writing I've ever read. Peter Kray gets it.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little book. If you don't like it, it's probably because you can't ski, or have never had sex.

[John Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essence of a skiers anticipation in fall. What's real, what's legend?