Book excerpt: Outdoorsman, thinker, skier, hiker, believer Pope. Blessed Pope John Paull II was known and loved in his public life for his adherence to the True Faith, his accessibility and his deep connection with the peoples of this world. He was also an avid sportsman and a skilled skier and hiker who found refuge, solace and spirituality in the mountain peaks and great outdoors. Now, translated for the first time into English, this first-hand account by Lino Zani, John Paul II s ski instructor and mountain guide, offers an intimate portrait of the Pope. Away from the demands and intrigues of the Vatican. A place of quiet respite for the Pope, it was on one of these secluded Alpine trips where he experienced a profound mystical vision of himself as the Fatima Pope.