Book excerpt: Snowbird Secrets: A Guide to Big Mountain Skiing is "a collection of lessons learned by skiing big mountains, as taught by big mountains." It reveals how this 3-ring resort is affected by wind, weather and exposure and how, in turn, this knowledge informs one's choice of descent down its multi-faceted terrain. The 22 chapters take readers on a tour of this gigantic winter playground, in the process sharing the secrets to mastering the mountain. Even elite expert skiers will discover perspectives they may have experienced and been unable to express. Mike Rogan, the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) National Alpine Team Captain and the living embodiment of the perfect turn, notes, "Nowhere else will you understand the white dance as inside these scrolls. You will not be a complete Alpine Slider until you finish this book." Secrets is like a backstage pass to an arena concert; its authors, Jackson Hogen and "Guru" Dave Powers, make you feel the beating pulse that invests every run down these natural amphitheaters with the invisible energy of the gravity stream. No other book on skiing has illuminated the concept of flow with such vivid examples, drawn from two lifetimes devoted to skiing in sync with the mountain. "Secrets is about flowing into the zone, be it the athletic performance zone or the Zone of Life. It should be required reading for all students... and their instructors," says the creator of the cutting-edge Clendenin Ski Method (CSM) and 2-time World Freestyle Champion John Clendenin. Whether you're already a master of the mountain or one who aspires to be, Secrets has countless lessons intertwined between its covers. You'll learn the advantages of being early in the turn, of drifting instead of carving and taking what the mountain gives you. "Snowbird Secrets applies to all skiing," observes the prime mover behind expertskier.com, Peter Keelty, "from the local bunny hill to the vast reaches of the Chugash. We believe it to be among the most important skiing books ever written. In our opinion, Secrets is must reading for anyone serious about skiing. Moreover, Secrets is a cracking good read."