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Skiing: A Dictionary for Bunny Slopers, Sunday Schussers & Apres-Skiers
Offers tongue in cheek definitions for various skiing terms, from aerials to yodel
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
4 people want to read
About the author
Henry N. Beard
61 books38 followersHenry N. Beard (born ca. 1945) is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine National Lampoon and the author of several best-selling books.
Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."
He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.
He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.
In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.
In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.
Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."
He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.
He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.
In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.
In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 29, 2022
Cute and funny. Would be a good coffee table book.
December 4, 2021
This dictionary includes some actual definitions for ski terms, but mostly takes a light-hearted dig at the ridiculousness that is the sport of skiing. It provided many LOL moments. I think there are two kinds of people who would enjoy this book:
⛷️ If you aren't a skier and don't want to be one
⛷️ If you are a skier and can appreciate self-deprecating humor
My favorites:
"Hat: Any of several types of soft, insulating headgear worn by skiers. As a rule, skiers do not wear hard-shelled, impact-proof helmets to prevent head injuries. This may be because any individual who believes it's fun descending a steep slope at a high rate of speed on a cold day clearly lacks a vital organ above the neck that requires protection."
"Skier: One who pays an arm and a leg for the opportunity to break them."
Content warning: The book is illustrated with cartoon-like drawings. There is an unexpected drawing of a topless woman in the book.
⛷️ If you aren't a skier and don't want to be one
⛷️ If you are a skier and can appreciate self-deprecating humor
My favorites:
"Hat: Any of several types of soft, insulating headgear worn by skiers. As a rule, skiers do not wear hard-shelled, impact-proof helmets to prevent head injuries. This may be because any individual who believes it's fun descending a steep slope at a high rate of speed on a cold day clearly lacks a vital organ above the neck that requires protection."
"Skier: One who pays an arm and a leg for the opportunity to break them."
Content warning: The book is illustrated with cartoon-like drawings. There is an unexpected drawing of a topless woman in the book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews