Dragons in the Snow: Avalanche Detectives and the Race to Beat Death in the Mountains

by Ed Power

2020 National Outdoor Book Award Winner - Outdoor Literature

Edward Power sets the reader 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 read, but also a powerful tool for raising avalanche awareness in everyone who plays in the winter backcountry.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Outdoors, Sports

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2020

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summing up why I dnf'd it I was looking for science and technology, and not life stories and personal details. If that's what you enjoy then this book may be for you. I was the wrong reader! If this had been written by Jon Krakauer this would have been a really exciting, fast-paced book that stuck to what the title promised. But it wasn't, so it's deadly dull, progresses incredibly slowly and has nothing much to do with the title. So why did I even pick this book up? Because it was set in Utah, and last year's man, the racing car driver from a Harlequin romance except no HEA, well Canada, had a house some pics of amazing house but not necessary to the review. Only to my heart. in Park City in Utah so he could go skiing when he was fed up with the Florida sunshine. So I thought, still not quite over him I'd like to know more about avalanches that might sweep him away if there weren't detectives watching out for and thwarting them.

What I wanted to read was the science and technology behind forecasting avalanches and their prevention. What I got was a long drawn out section on a young boy who became a snowboarder and made money from videoing him and his friends and how they kissed their mother goodbye or later their wife and perhaps the parrot as well. It is endless.

Eventually we get to snowboarding, described in a lot of detail, and there is an avalanche and someone gets hurt and someone else gets hurt really really badly. So long drawn out rescue and recovery and there he is bicycling along country lanes with his family but not feeling good yet but he has a new perspective on life and it's four months now.... So?

The detectives? They check snow conditions, they ask skiiers, they bomb potential avalanches in the mornings. There are less than half a dozen sentences devoted to this. They put out jokey warnings on the radio, they like things to be light-hearted (I'd like things to be more serious). There are figures on deaths, details of organisations, talks about that week's snowpack. BUT no details of what exactly is a snowpack, why it is measured in weeks. There is no science or technology.

I've read the first 7 chapters, maybe in chapter 8 we'll get round to details, but maybe not, I've been waiting long enough. And if it does start on the detective work in chapter 8, how much of the next 19 chapters are going to be about that and how many more personal stories? I'll never know....

Why did I hide my review? Because I thought it was a bit cruel to an author's new book that hadn't been bolstered up by major fake and puff reviews and ratings before publication. I can see now why authors do it. Use an agency to add ratings (in Suzanne Collins' new book's case, 47,000) and freebies to get 4/5 star reviews, and the book can stand a lot of negativity before it affects the ratings and people who buy the book are really disappointed that it doesn't live up to them. So kudos for the author for not going that route.

That's two dnf's in a row, the other one was The Ghost Garden: Inside the Lives of Schizophrenia's Feared and Forgotten. I'm getting really despondent and can only ask the Great Curator of Books in the Sky to please send me at least a 4 star for my next read.

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first drawn to this book because of the main title! I do love a good dragon story, but this is not about mythical dragons, but about avalanches and the people who study and predict them. It appealed to my inner science geek. One of the forecasters, Craig Gordon is featured prominently and he compared avalanches to dragons sleeping in the snow. He wishes for those skiing and snowboarding in the backcountry to avoid waking that sleeping dragon and being buried! Over all lots of great info if I ever decide to go out-of-bounds skiing (highly unlikely!).

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much if I didn't live in SLC next to the Wasatch Mountains, as it made it more personal. The author talks about specific storms and I actually remember them. For instance, on December 26, 2003, we experienced the second largest snowstorm in history! I recall this day very well as I had a 7-week old newborn and our power was out. I also have pictures of our giant pine tree so covered in snow that the limbs were touching the ground. What a storm! I also recall the storm in January 2017 and all the snow we received that winter because my oldest was able to keep his ski rentals through July! The resorts were open for skiing on the 4th of July! I'm not a skier anymore (too cold for my liking), but the rest of my family is, and this book gave me a greater appreciation for the sport. I took a lot of outdoor adventure classes at the University of Utah and already knew the technical aspects about avalanches that the book covered (causes, skiing out of them, use of beacons, etc). But it could be very educational for someone who isn't familiar with them.

Some of the stories were more engaging than others. I think the book could have been edited down a bit as I found myself skimming through some of the chapters.

[Kimberlee (reading.wanderwoman) · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm not a skier or snowboarder I consider myself more like the author's brother "a weather geek" and even more, a natural disaster geek.

This book was compelling, fascinating and terrifying. A look into the lives of those who live and breathe snow paired with true stories of survival and loss in the dragon's lair.

I can't even begin to fathom what it would be like to even see an avalanches let alone be caught in one. Not only that, but be the one responsible for giving out the warning levels. This was an eye opening book about a subject I know little about. A look into the lives of back country adventurers as well as weather, particularly snow, experts and the creators of incredible cold weather gear and preparation. And of course the heart wrenching stories of survival and loss. A big recommend to anyone who has a love for snow sports and a curiosity behind all things avalanche and a touch of climate change.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a backcountry skier living in Utah, this book was a good way to get excited about the upcoming ski season, as well as a cautionary reminder of how quickly a fun day of skiing can take a bad turn. I enjoyed the writing style and found it interesting to read about the human side of avalanche forecasting and what is involved. There were some very dark moments in this book, but overall it is a positive and hopeful look into how experts are dedicating their lives to giving backcountry enthusiasts the information and tools we need to keep us safe in the mountains.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that my husband heard the author and then wanted to read. He read me parts of it and so I decided to read it myself. It just added to my respect for avalanche forecasters and those who go out to rescue those who get caught in avalanches. Mother Nature is not something to be messed with!

[Nicholas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author manages to take some incredibly compelling people and situations and make them tedious to read about. This one was a chore to get through.

I’d cut him some slack if the book was more of a deep dive into snow science which can get a bit dry but it’s not that either, and I don’t think anyone whose been through a level 1 Avy class would pick up any new info here.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the subtitle, I expected more accounts of daring rescues and fewer life sketches of skiers and meteorologists, so I skimmed a lot, but it was fairly interesting for someone who lives in ski country. It did kind of jump around a lot.

[Edmund Rudell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book which gets you excited for ski season!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, easy to read, and often sobering look at snow science, avalanche safety and the many horrible ways to die when snow overwhelms your body.

[Jac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the rescue/adventure story that I'd expected, but a ton of information with enough stories speckled through to keep it entertaining. I wouldn't be an avalanche forecaster for anything.

[Stephanie Ulmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Backcountry drama even at a safe distance


I’m not a backcountry skier— I stick to the piste — but I very much enjoyed this ride. The author’s prose and descriptions of nature are moving, as are the technical explanations about the texture of snow and how the experts track storms and understand their complexities. This deeply-researched book really brings meteorologists and mountain people to life. The bravery of the extreme skiers and the responsibility of the middle-of-the-night forecasters is impressive. I was riveted by the drama of close-calls and rescue operations.