This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

The Complete Day Skipper, 09 Apr 2008
I found this bookto be very well written and informative, he certainly knows his stuff and whilst the book has been around for a while it is still very relevant and well worth buying.

A good Course Primer, 19 Oct 2004
Very well written and provides the key elements of the RYA Day Skipper course . I read it before the course and it all made sense and was a big help on my early outings in the boat. Though it is not a substitute for the course .
Unless you get a copy of the complete RYA course notes , it pulls together the course material and hence is a good point of reference.

This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

The Complete Day Skipper, 09 Apr 2008
I found this bookto be very well written and informative, he certainly knows his stuff and whilst the book has been around for a while it is still very relevant and well worth buying.

A good Course Primer, 19 Oct 2004
Very well written and provides the key elements of the RYA Day Skipper course . I read it before the course and it all made sense and was a big help on my early outings in the boat. Though it is not a substitute for the course .
Unless you get a copy of the complete RYA course notes , it pulls together the course material and hence is a good point of reference.

Excellent for intermediate/advanced skiers who have had formal lessons!, 17 Feb 2007
I have to say that for me (can ski anything on-piste) this book is fab!!

It is ideal for good skiers who have had formal lessons in the past on snow. It won't make as much sense if you were taught by mates as the chapters build on the traditional snowplough, stem turn, parallell approach. Having learnt in Italy and France i got so far and then started to struggle on sustaining good technique on steeper slopes. In the last couple of years I have had 2 private lessons by an English & a Canadian instructor who were able to communicate the 'feel and flow' parts of the skiing technique that I was missing on carving skis. Like many I tried to apply the way I had been taught 15 years ago to newer carving ski technology which does not work.

As soon as I started reading I knew exactly what the author was talking about. The drills were similar to those in the 3 hours of private lessons that I had had. What I was reading made sense and I could easily apply it to my skiing.

If you just want to ski and not bothered by technique then this is not the book for you. If you are willing to read it and practise some of the techniques and drills then they will benefit your skiing. Having now skied 9 weeks out of the last 15 years I found his advice and instruction very useful as did my mate (her partner has still not forgiven me for lending it to her -something to do with her reading it at 5am by headtorch!)

The chapters on equipment are very useful. Skiing technology just keeps changing and his descriptions are easy to understand. Out of the group I have just been with they helped one skier sort heel lift with orthotics, another with black toe problems and another whose skiing was adversely affected as the flex was adjusted wrongly - our skiing all massively improved as a result.

I can't agree with all the comments!, 20 Nov 2006
It's a good basic book and a useful reference. But it won't make you a good skier and it certainly won't make you "an advanced skier overnight".

If you're anything but a beginner take a look at "The Athletic Skier" by Warren Witherell and see what a really good ski manual is all about.

Top notch - still a reference book for me, 24 Oct 2006
I'm a Ski Instructor and can heartily recommend this book.. especially the section on "you can blame your equipment sometimes" ! I used it myself a few years ago when I was preparing for my instructor exams and found it an excellent read. The exercises are useful too and some of them have found their way into a number of my high-end lessons.

It's also good in that it's a modern book - ski technology has changed over the years and therefore so has technique. This book is up to date, as opposed to some (although still excellent in some areas) other books that are now becoming dated.

As others have said, it's not a book for beginners but if you have an idea of proper ski control, body management etc. it can give you a good headstart for a week away and will make an instructors life easier when you go for tune-up lessons !

It just clicks ater reading this book!, 22 Jan 2006
.
For someone interested in skiing well, especially the technical side of things, this book is a god send!

The author explains things in a detailed manner which is really easy to take on board.

I read this book before skiing for two weeks in Austria, on the third day I was skiing fast,(let's face it anybody can) but with perfect control,(not many people can) on any run. It seems like when an instructor is repeating the same thing over and over again your brain just dosen't take it in. However, once you've realised for yourself what you should be donig, it just clicks!

The book is is split into common sensed chapters starting with building a collection of basic skills, the author calls this a tool box, tackling basics like; stance, edging, pressure control then moves onto specific techniques for powder, moguls and steeps among other things blending tools from the toolbox to hone a good technique in the differint conditions.

I concentrated on one chapter per day, practicing what the author preached. It worked great. There is drills to help emphasis certain technique particulars and also trouble shooting section in each chapter if you still have problems.

One of my favourite things in each chapter is that the author tells you what you should see and feel through the skis and your tracks when you get it right. Often this is very simple and you may remember from previuos experience when you have got it right. However, sometimes it's very discreet and you would never have realised.

There is also a good section on tuning skis referring to edge angle and binding tuning, although it is a bit ahead of my standard but worth a read never the less.

By working with this book you could easily be one of those people everyone watches from the lift!

This book is well worth the money and I would definatley buy it if you feel your not getting anywhere with lessons. Maybe your just sick of waiting for all the slow ones to catch up! Lessons aren't cheap at the end of the day and it's a fraction of the price.

Although I have skied before a with a good level of instruction, my skiing and understanding of it definatley improved due to this book. Everyone has give 5 stars for a reason, thats why I bought it.

The best ski book. For anyone except total beginners., 21 Jan 2004
Some people will never be able to get any benefit from reading a book on a sport. Not everyone can take the knowledge of _how_ something should be done and the advice on how it should look/feel, and be thinking about it when they are trying to perform the action later. For them, all such books are wasted efforts.

Luckily for me I get real benefits from these sorts of books if they are done well. Especially in sports that are technical and often counter-intuitive, which skiing certain is.

This book is superb example of a sports manual and it does all that one could hope for in a book.

For me the most useful aspects of the book are:
- the author explaining to you in detail what is happening when you ski, how it works, what your body does and what the skis do
- how it should _feel_ to do something right. This allows you to have a goal to work towards and goes some way to addressing the disadvantages of not having an instructor.
- the drills

The overall structure of the book is also a strong point. The author breaks down 'skiing' into stance, steering, edging, body movement etc and goes into great detail on each. This helps you to target areas more specifically and find where lies the weakness that seems to be holding you back.

There is also a great section on choosing your equipment, and perhaps more importantly, having it set up correctly.

Later on in the book the chapters move away from this 'toolbox' approach and onto how a skier should use their tools ski in a certain manner and to deal with different terrain and conditions (steeps, crud, trees, bumps).

This sections of the book feels like getting the best advice your instructor/friends ever gave you. Certainly you then have to get out there and do it in order to learn, but at least you know what you should be doing, how it should feel, what your problems may be etc.

I have already gone on long enough, but in closing I would remind anyone reading how much even 1 hour of tuition costs. Even if you don't get as much out of this book as I did it is a bargain, and the _only_ book I would recommend.

I would defy anyone to read it and not feel that they have learned something which they can use to improve their skiing.

This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

The Complete Day Skipper, 09 Apr 2008
I found this bookto be very well written and informative, he certainly knows his stuff and whilst the book has been around for a while it is still very relevant and well worth buying.

A good Course Primer, 19 Oct 2004
Very well written and provides the key elements of the RYA Day Skipper course . I read it before the course and it all made sense and was a big help on my early outings in the boat. Though it is not a substitute for the course .
Unless you get a copy of the complete RYA course notes , it pulls together the course material and hence is a good point of reference.

Excellent for intermediate/advanced skiers who have had formal lessons!, 17 Feb 2007
I have to say that for me (can ski anything on-piste) this book is fab!!

It is ideal for good skiers who have had formal lessons in the past on snow. It won't make as much sense if you were taught by mates as the chapters build on the traditional snowplough, stem turn, parallell approach. Having learnt in Italy and France i got so far and then started to struggle on sustaining good technique on steeper slopes. In the last couple of years I have had 2 private lessons by an English & a Canadian instructor who were able to communicate the 'feel and flow' parts of the skiing technique that I was missing on carving skis. Like many I tried to apply the way I had been taught 15 years ago to newer carving ski technology which does not work.

As soon as I started reading I knew exactly what the author was talking about. The drills were similar to those in the 3 hours of private lessons that I had had. What I was reading made sense and I could easily apply it to my skiing.

If you just want to ski and not bothered by technique then this is not the book for you. If you are willing to read it and practise some of the techniques and drills then they will benefit your skiing. Having now skied 9 weeks out of the last 15 years I found his advice and instruction very useful as did my mate (her partner has still not forgiven me for lending it to her -something to do with her reading it at 5am by headtorch!)

The chapters on equipment are very useful. Skiing technology just keeps changing and his descriptions are easy to understand. Out of the group I have just been with they helped one skier sort heel lift with orthotics, another with black toe problems and another whose skiing was adversely affected as the flex was adjusted wrongly - our skiing all massively improved as a result.

I can't agree with all the comments!, 20 Nov 2006
It's a good basic book and a useful reference. But it won't make you a good skier and it certainly won't make you "an advanced skier overnight".

If you're anything but a beginner take a look at "The Athletic Skier" by Warren Witherell and see what a really good ski manual is all about.

Top notch - still a reference book for me, 24 Oct 2006
I'm a Ski Instructor and can heartily recommend this book.. especially the section on "you can blame your equipment sometimes" ! I used it myself a few years ago when I was preparing for my instructor exams and found it an excellent read. The exercises are useful too and some of them have found their way into a number of my high-end lessons.

It's also good in that it's a modern book - ski technology has changed over the years and therefore so has technique. This book is up to date, as opposed to some (although still excellent in some areas) other books that are now becoming dated.

As others have said, it's not a book for beginners but if you have an idea of proper ski control, body management etc. it can give you a good headstart for a week away and will make an instructors life easier when you go for tune-up lessons !

It just clicks ater reading this book!, 22 Jan 2006
.
For someone interested in skiing well, especially the technical side of things, this book is a god send!

The author explains things in a detailed manner which is really easy to take on board.

I read this book before skiing for two weeks in Austria, on the third day I was skiing fast,(let's face it anybody can) but with perfect control,(not many people can) on any run. It seems like when an instructor is repeating the same thing over and over again your brain just dosen't take it in. However, once you've realised for yourself what you should be donig, it just clicks!

The book is is split into common sensed chapters starting with building a collection of basic skills, the author calls this a tool box, tackling basics like; stance, edging, pressure control then moves onto specific techniques for powder, moguls and steeps among other things blending tools from the toolbox to hone a good technique in the differint conditions.

I concentrated on one chapter per day, practicing what the author preached. It worked great. There is drills to help emphasis certain technique particulars and also trouble shooting section in each chapter if you still have problems.

One of my favourite things in each chapter is that the author tells you what you should see and feel through the skis and your tracks when you get it right. Often this is very simple and you may remember from previuos experience when you have got it right. However, sometimes it's very discreet and you would never have realised.

There is also a good section on tuning skis referring to edge angle and binding tuning, although it is a bit ahead of my standard but worth a read never the less.

By working with this book you could easily be one of those people everyone watches from the lift!

This book is well worth the money and I would definatley buy it if you feel your not getting anywhere with lessons. Maybe your just sick of waiting for all the slow ones to catch up! Lessons aren't cheap at the end of the day and it's a fraction of the price.

Although I have skied before a with a good level of instruction, my skiing and understanding of it definatley improved due to this book. Everyone has give 5 stars for a reason, thats why I bought it.

The best ski book. For anyone except total beginners., 21 Jan 2004
Some people will never be able to get any benefit from reading a book on a sport. Not everyone can take the knowledge of _how_ something should be done and the advice on how it should look/feel, and be thinking about it when they are trying to perform the action later. For them, all such books are wasted efforts.

Luckily for me I get real benefits from these sorts of books if they are done well. Especially in sports that are technical and often counter-intuitive, which skiing certain is.

This book is superb example of a sports manual and it does all that one could hope for in a book.

For me the most useful aspects of the book are:
- the author explaining to you in detail what is happening when you ski, how it works, what your body does and what the skis do
- how it should _feel_ to do something right. This allows you to have a goal to work towards and goes some way to addressing the disadvantages of not having an instructor.
- the drills

The overall structure of the book is also a strong point. The author breaks down 'skiing' into stance, steering, edging, body movement etc and goes into great detail on each. This helps you to target areas more specifically and find where lies the weakness that seems to be holding you back.

There is also a great section on choosing your equipment, and perhaps more importantly, having it set up correctly.

Later on in the book the chapters move away from this 'toolbox' approach and onto how a skier should use their tools ski in a certain manner and to deal with different terrain and conditions (steeps, crud, trees, bumps).

This sections of the book feels like getting the best advice your instructor/friends ever gave you. Certainly you then have to get out there and do it in order to learn, but at least you know what you should be doing, how it should feel, what your problems may be etc.

I have already gone on long enough, but in closing I would remind anyone reading how much even 1 hour of tuition costs. Even if you don't get as much out of this book as I did it is a bargain, and the _only_ book I would recommend.

I would defy anyone to read it and not feel that they have learned something which they can use to improve their skiing.

Excellent book for twin engined motor boaters, 24 Mar 2003
Overall this is an excellent book for people about to embark on the Day Skipper practical course. It gives clear and consise guidance and tips and allows the new skipper to think about his priorities. It has to be said that the book is of less use (but certainly not useless) to those with single engined boats.

An excellent preparation for the RYA Day Skipper course, 22 Aug 2001
This book is well written and logically ordered. The authors have clearly given a lot of thought to the demands of handling a motor cruiser, particularly if you are new to the area.

I have gained a lot of practical knowledge from it and often use it for reference, especially when I have friends who are new to motor cruising on board.

It is designed for inboard engines, as is the RYA course it is clearly designed to accompany.

Suitable if you have a boat with 2 propellers, 30 Jul 2001
The book is well written and gives relevant information about seamanship. However sections like advanced motoring techniques or procedures for leaving a berth and arrival are valid for boats with 2 propellers and if you have a boat with one propeller (i.e. an outboard engine), it doesn't help at all. Therefore I'm disappointed with what I get out of it.

This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

The Complete Day Skipper, 09 Apr 2008
I found this bookto be very well written and informative, he certainly knows his stuff and whilst the book has been around for a while it is still very relevant and well worth buying.

A good Course Primer, 19 Oct 2004
Very well written and provides the key elements of the RYA Day Skipper course . I read it before the course and it all made sense and was a big help on my early outings in the boat. Though it is not a substitute for the course .
Unless you get a copy of the complete RYA course notes , it pulls together the course material and hence is a good point of reference.

Excellent for intermediate/advanced skiers who have had formal lessons!, 17 Feb 2007
I have to say that for me (can ski anything on-piste) this book is fab!!

It is ideal for good skiers who have had formal lessons in the past on snow. It won't make as much sense if you were taught by mates as the chapters build on the traditional snowplough, stem turn, parallell approach. Having learnt in Italy and France i got so far and then started to struggle on sustaining good technique on steeper slopes. In the last couple of years I have had 2 private lessons by an English & a Canadian instructor who were able to communicate the 'feel and flow' parts of the skiing technique that I was missing on carving skis. Like many I tried to apply the way I had been taught 15 years ago to newer carving ski technology which does not work.

As soon as I started reading I knew exactly what the author was talking about. The drills were similar to those in the 3 hours of private lessons that I had had. What I was reading made sense and I could easily apply it to my skiing.

If you just want to ski and not bothered by technique then this is not the book for you. If you are willing to read it and practise some of the techniques and drills then they will benefit your skiing. Having now skied 9 weeks out of the last 15 years I found his advice and instruction very useful as did my mate (her partner has still not forgiven me for lending it to her -something to do with her reading it at 5am by headtorch!)

The chapters on equipment are very useful. Skiing technology just keeps changing and his descriptions are easy to understand. Out of the group I have just been with they helped one skier sort heel lift with orthotics, another with black toe problems and another whose skiing was adversely affected as the flex was adjusted wrongly - our skiing all massively improved as a result.

I can't agree with all the comments!, 20 Nov 2006
It's a good basic book and a useful reference. But it won't make you a good skier and it certainly won't make you "an advanced skier overnight".

If you're anything but a beginner take a look at "The Athletic Skier" by Warren Witherell and see what a really good ski manual is all about.

Top notch - still a reference book for me, 24 Oct 2006
I'm a Ski Instructor and can heartily recommend this book.. especially the section on "you can blame your equipment sometimes" ! I used it myself a few years ago when I was preparing for my instructor exams and found it an excellent read. The exercises are useful too and some of them have found their way into a number of my high-end lessons.

It's also good in that it's a modern book - ski technology has changed over the years and therefore so has technique. This book is up to date, as opposed to some (although still excellent in some areas) other books that are now becoming dated.

As others have said, it's not a book for beginners but if you have an idea of proper ski control, body management etc. it can give you a good headstart for a week away and will make an instructors life easier when you go for tune-up lessons !

It just clicks ater reading this book!, 22 Jan 2006
.
For someone interested in skiing well, especially the technical side of things, this book is a god send!

The author explains things in a detailed manner which is really easy to take on board.

I read this book before skiing for two weeks in Austria, on the third day I was skiing fast,(let's face it anybody can) but with perfect control,(not many people can) on any run. It seems like when an instructor is repeating the same thing over and over again your brain just dosen't take it in. However, once you've realised for yourself what you should be donig, it just clicks!

The book is is split into common sensed chapters starting with building a collection of basic skills, the author calls this a tool box, tackling basics like; stance, edging, pressure control then moves onto specific techniques for powder, moguls and steeps among other things blending tools from the toolbox to hone a good technique in the differint conditions.

I concentrated on one chapter per day, practicing what the author preached. It worked great. There is drills to help emphasis certain technique particulars and also trouble shooting section in each chapter if you still have problems.

One of my favourite things in each chapter is that the author tells you what you should see and feel through the skis and your tracks when you get it right. Often this is very simple and you may remember from previuos experience when you have got it right. However, sometimes it's very discreet and you would never have realised.

There is also a good section on tuning skis referring to edge angle and binding tuning, although it is a bit ahead of my standard but worth a read never the less.

By working with this book you could easily be one of those people everyone watches from the lift!

This book is well worth the money and I would definatley buy it if you feel your not getting anywhere with lessons. Maybe your just sick of waiting for all the slow ones to catch up! Lessons aren't cheap at the end of the day and it's a fraction of the price.

Although I have skied before a with a good level of instruction, my skiing and understanding of it definatley improved due to this book. Everyone has give 5 stars for a reason, thats why I bought it.

The best ski book. For anyone except total beginners., 21 Jan 2004
Some people will never be able to get any benefit from reading a book on a sport. Not everyone can take the knowledge of _how_ something should be done and the advice on how it should look/feel, and be thinking about it when they are trying to perform the action later. For them, all such books are wasted efforts.

Luckily for me I get real benefits from these sorts of books if they are done well. Especially in sports that are technical and often counter-intuitive, which skiing certain is.

This book is superb example of a sports manual and it does all that one could hope for in a book.

For me the most useful aspects of the book are:
- the author explaining to you in detail what is happening when you ski, how it works, what your body does and what the skis do
- how it should _feel_ to do something right. This allows you to have a goal to work towards and goes some way to addressing the disadvantages of not having an instructor.
- the drills

The overall structure of the book is also a strong point. The author breaks down 'skiing' into stance, steering, edging, body movement etc and goes into great detail on each. This helps you to target areas more specifically and find where lies the weakness that seems to be holding you back.

There is also a great section on choosing your equipment, and perhaps more importantly, having it set up correctly.

Later on in the book the chapters move away from this 'toolbox' approach and onto how a skier should use their tools ski in a certain manner and to deal with different terrain and conditions (steeps, crud, trees, bumps).

This sections of the book feels like getting the best advice your instructor/friends ever gave you. Certainly you then have to get out there and do it in order to learn, but at least you know what you should be doing, how it should feel, what your problems may be etc.

I have already gone on long enough, but in closing I would remind anyone reading how much even 1 hour of tuition costs. Even if you don't get as much out of this book as I did it is a bargain, and the _only_ book I would recommend.

I would defy anyone to read it and not feel that they have learned something which they can use to improve their skiing.

Excellent book for twin engined motor boaters, 24 Mar 2003
Overall this is an excellent book for people about to embark on the Day Skipper practical course. It gives clear and consise guidance and tips and allows the new skipper to think about his priorities. It has to be said that the book is of less use (but certainly not useless) to those with single engined boats.

An excellent preparation for the RYA Day Skipper course, 22 Aug 2001
This book is well written and logically ordered. The authors have clearly given a lot of thought to the demands of handling a motor cruiser, particularly if you are new to the area.

I have gained a lot of practical knowledge from it and often use it for reference, especially when I have friends who are new to motor cruising on board.

It is designed for inboard engines, as is the RYA course it is clearly designed to accompany.

Suitable if you have a boat with 2 propellers, 30 Jul 2001
The book is well written and gives relevant information about seamanship. However sections like advanced motoring techniques or procedures for leaving a berth and arrival are valid for boats with 2 propellers and if you have a boat with one propeller (i.e. an outboard engine), it doesn't help at all. Therefore I'm disappointed with what I get out of it.

Encore, 23 Jan 2007
Whether this is your first or 4th Randall read I urge you to don your hat and goggles and race to your nearest bookstore. If the image of Randall in a canoe or on a donkey wasn t enough then one of him trying to impress finely tuned youngsters on the mountains of Mont St Bernard are enough to wake the silent carraige on the train ( as somewhat embarrasingly happended to me!) Russians, wine, close encounters, late nights and typically random Randall stumbles make this another witty and honest portrayal of la vie dans les Alpes de nos jours. Any critisism ? 288 pages too short. Roll on the next one

Another A+, Sir., 21 Jan 2007
It is a fact widely accepted by friends and family that although I am an enthusiastic starter, willing to give everything a go, it is with less zeal that I finish anything...("Where are you heading with this I hear you cry?")...that is until I read this book...(See I always get there in the end). In fact the end came rather too quickly for my liking. I couldn't put the book down. Indeed this has happened with all of Will Randall's books. This latest offering is no less warm than those based in sunnier climes and just as insightful and entertaining. In fact Will Randall's "Oh go on then, why not?" attitude to life and the challenges it presents in all his books, has inspired me to moved to a country where I don't speak the language and see if I too can have some funny adventures- for those of you interested, there have been several to date!
Anyway back to the point. I heartily recommend this book. It will leave you warmer than a couple of pints of vin chaud and itching to get your skis on!

I want to go skiing now!, 16 Jan 2007
I enjoyed this book. Anyone who likes Bill Bryson and has been anywhere near the slopes will love this. its full of stories of boozy nights, random Russians and skiing misadventures. its not as personal as some of his others- you just get the sense that he had the time of his life and he was lucky enough about being able to write about it- but he does a good englishman abroad.

This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

The Complete Day Skipper, 09 Apr 2008
I found this bookto be very well written and informative, he certainly knows his stuff and whilst the book has been around for a while it is still very relevant and well worth buying.

A good Course Primer, 19 Oct 2004
Very well written and provides the key elements of the RYA Day Skipper course . I read it before the course and it all made sense and was a big help on my early outings in the boat. Though it is not a substitute for the course .
Unless you get a copy of the complete RYA course notes , it pulls together the course material and hence is a good point of reference.

Excellent for intermediate/advanced skiers who have had formal lessons!, 17 Feb 2007
I have to say that for me (can ski anything on-piste) this book is fab!!

It is ideal for good skiers who have had formal lessons in the past on snow. It won't make as much sense if you were taught by mates as the chapters build on the traditional snowplough, stem turn, parallell approach. Having learnt in Italy and France i got so far and then started to struggle on sustaining good technique on steeper slopes. In the last couple of years I have had 2 private lessons by an English & a Canadian instructor who were able to communicate the 'feel and flow' parts of the skiing technique that I was missing on carving skis. Like many I tried to apply the way I had been taught 15 years ago to newer carving ski technology which does not work.

As soon as I started reading I knew exactly what the author was talking about. The drills were similar to those in the 3 hours of private lessons that I had had. What I was reading made sense and I could easily apply it to my skiing.

If you just want to ski and not bothered by technique then this is not the book for you. If you are willing to read it and practise some of the techniques and drills then they will benefit your skiing. Having now skied 9 weeks out of the last 15 years I found his advice and instruction very useful as did my mate (her partner has still not forgiven me for lending it to her -something to do with her reading it at 5am by headtorch!)

The chapters on equipment are very useful. Skiing technology just keeps changing and his descriptions are easy to understand. Out of the group I have just been with they helped one skier sort heel lift with orthotics, another with black toe problems and another whose skiing was adversely affected as the flex was adjusted wrongly - our skiing all massively improved as a result.

I can't agree with all the comments!, 20 Nov 2006
It's a good basic book and a useful reference. But it won't make you a good skier and it certainly won't make you "an advanced skier overnight".

If you're anything but a beginner take a look at "The Athletic Skier" by Warren Witherell and see what a really good ski manual is all about.

Top notch - still a reference book for me, 24 Oct 2006
I'm a Ski Instructor and can heartily recommend this book.. especially the section on "you can blame your equipment sometimes" ! I used it myself a few years ago when I was preparing for my instructor exams and found it an excellent read. The exercises are useful too and some of them have found their way into a number of my high-end lessons.

It's also good in that it's a modern book - ski technology has changed over the years and therefore so has technique. This book is up to date, as opposed to some (although still excellent in some areas) other books that are now becoming dated.

As others have said, it's not a book for beginners but if you have an idea of proper ski control, body management etc. it can give you a good headstart for a week away and will make an instructors life easier when you go for tune-up lessons !

It just clicks ater reading this book!, 22 Jan 2006
.
For someone interested in skiing well, especially the technical side of things, this book is a god send!

The author explains things in a detailed manner which is really easy to take on board.

I read this book before skiing for two weeks in Austria, on the third day I was skiing fast,(let's face it anybody can) but with perfect control,(not many people can) on any run. It seems like when an instructor is repeating the same thing over and over again your brain just dosen't take it in. However, once you've realised for yourself what you should be donig, it just clicks!

The book is is split into common sensed chapters starting with building a collection of basic skills, the author calls this a tool box, tackling basics like; stance, edging, pressure control then moves onto specific techniques for powder, moguls and steeps among other things blending tools from the toolbox to hone a good technique in the differint conditions.

I concentrated on one chapter per day, practicing what the author preached. It worked great. There is drills to help emphasis certain technique particulars and also trouble shooting section in each chapter if you still have problems.

One of my favourite things in each chapter is that the author tells you what you should see and feel through the skis and your tracks when you get it right. Often this is very simple and you may remember from previuos experience when you have got it right. However, sometimes it's very discreet and you would never have realised.

There is also a good section on tuning skis referring to edge angle and binding tuning, although it is a bit ahead of my standard but worth a read never the less.

By working with this book you could easily be one of those people everyone watches from the lift!

This book is well worth the money and I would definatley buy it if you feel your not getting anywhere with lessons. Maybe your just sick of waiting for all the slow ones to catch up! Lessons aren't cheap at the end of the day and it's a fraction of the price.

Although I have skied before a with a good level of instruction, my skiing and understanding of it definatley improved due to this book. Everyone has give 5 stars for a reason, thats why I bought it.

The best ski book. For anyone except total beginners., 21 Jan 2004
Some people will never be able to get any benefit from reading a book on a sport. Not everyone can take the knowledge of _how_ something should be done and the advice on how it should look/feel, and be thinking about it when they are trying to perform the action later. For them, all such books are wasted efforts.

Luckily for me I get real benefits from these sorts of books if they are done well. Especially in sports that are technical and often counter-intuitive, which skiing certain is.

This book is superb example of a sports manual and it does all that one could hope for in a book.

For me the most useful aspects of the book are:
- the author explaining to you in detail what is happening when you ski, how it works, what your body does and what the skis do
- how it should _feel_ to do something right. This allows you to have a goal to work towards and goes some way to addressing the disadvantages of not having an instructor.
- the drills

The overall structure of the book is also a strong point. The author breaks down 'skiing' into stance, steering, edging, body movement etc and goes into great detail on each. This helps you to target areas more specifically and find where lies the weakness that seems to be holding you back.

There is also a great section on choosing your equipment, and perhaps more importantly, having it set up correctly.

Later on in the book the chapters move away from this 'toolbox' approach and onto how a skier should use their tools ski in a certain manner and to deal with different terrain and conditions (steeps, crud, trees, bumps).

This sections of the book feels like getting the best advice your instructor/friends ever gave you. Certainly you then have to get out there and do it in order to learn, but at least you know what you should be doing, how it should feel, what your problems may be etc.

I have already gone on long enough, but in closing I would remind anyone reading how much even 1 hour of tuition costs. Even if you don't get as much out of this book as I did it is a bargain, and the _only_ book I would recommend.

I would defy anyone to read it and not feel that they have learned something which they can use to improve their skiing.

Excellent book for twin engined motor boaters, 24 Mar 2003
Overall this is an excellent book for people about to embark on the Day Skipper practical course. It gives clear and consise guidance and tips and allows the new skipper to think about his priorities. It has to be said that the book is of less use (but certainly not useless) to those with single engined boats.

An excellent preparation for the RYA Day Skipper course, 22 Aug 2001
This book is well written and logically ordered. The authors have clearly given a lot of thought to the demands of handling a motor cruiser, particularly if you are new to the area.

I have gained a lot of practical knowledge from it and often use it for reference, especially when I have friends who are new to motor cruising on board.

It is designed for inboard engines, as is the RYA course it is clearly designed to accompany.

Suitable if you have a boat with 2 propellers, 30 Jul 2001
The book is well written and gives relevant information about seamanship. However sections like advanced motoring techniques or procedures for leaving a berth and arrival are valid for boats with 2 propellers and if you have a boat with one propeller (i.e. an outboard engine), it doesn't help at all. Therefore I'm disappointed with what I get out of it.

Encore, 23 Jan 2007
Whether this is your first or 4th Randall read I urge you to don your hat and goggles and race to your nearest bookstore. If the image of Randall in a canoe or on a donkey wasn t enough then one of him trying to impress finely tuned youngsters on the mountains of Mont St Bernard are enough to wake the silent carraige on the train ( as somewhat embarrasingly happended to me!) Russians, wine, close encounters, late nights and typically random Randall stumbles make this another witty and honest portrayal of la vie dans les Alpes de nos jours. Any critisism ? 288 pages too short. Roll on the next one

Another A+, Sir., 21 Jan 2007
It is a fact widely accepted by friends and family that although I am an enthusiastic starter, willing to give everything a go, it is with less zeal that I finish anything...("Where are you heading with this I hear you cry?")...that is until I read this book...(See I always get there in the end). In fact the end came rather too quickly for my liking. I couldn't put the book down. Indeed this has happened with all of Will Randall's books. This latest offering is no less warm than those based in sunnier climes and just as insightful and entertaining. In fact Will Randall's "Oh go on then, why not?" attitude to life and the challenges it presents in all his books, has inspired me to moved to a country where I don't speak the language and see if I too can have some funny adventures- for those of you interested, there have been several to date!
Anyway back to the point. I heartily recommend this book. It will leave you warmer than a couple of pints of vin chaud and itching to get your skis on!

I want to go skiing now!, 16 Jan 2007
I enjoyed this book. Anyone who likes Bill Bryson and has been anywhere near the slopes will love this. its full of stories of boozy nights, random Russians and skiing misadventures. its not as personal as some of his others- you just get the sense that he had the time of his life and he was lucky enough about being able to write about it- but he does a good englishman abroad.

A must for every serious skier, 17 Sep 2008
This is a very well written, well documented, no nonsense book which was recommended to me initially by UK French Alps specialist PeakRetreats.co.uk as they use it themselves. It does not have details of as many resorts as other books but the ones it covers are well researched.

This excellent book is called MASTERING mountain bike skills!, 21 Jul 2008
I rarely write reviews, but this one deserves a good review and also deserves the record to be set straight with respect to a couple of previous reviews. Specifically, buying a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills (the clue is in the title) and complaining that it is not suitable for beginners is akin to buying a book on vegetarian cookery and complaining that it does not have enough meat dishes in it.
This book is by far the best skills book for anyone who has mastered the basics. It has a mass of detail in it. There are hundreds of hints and tips and the book pays dividends when read a few times over simply because there is so much info in it. I'm kind of gobsmacked at some of the bizarre criticisms I've read here. It's a shame these critics haven't named the books they have found superior. In over 10 years of riding I haven't seen another book/magazine/website/DVD that comes anywhere near providing the wealth of useful info that this book does. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their existing mountain biking skills. Here's another clue/tip: - If you don't know what an endo is, don't buy a book called MASTERING mountain bike skills, buy a BEGINNERS guide to mountain biking.


Dialing the wrong number, 05 May 2008
There are countless thousands of people with mountain bikes looking for a book to help them ride trails more skilfully. Sadly, this is not it.

At the outset the authors declare they want to write a step-by-step guide to mountain biking. They not only fail to do that, they do so in language which excludes newcomers while making asides which are only likely to put off inexperienced riders altogether.

There are a few good tips - drop offs, bunny hops and "manuals"/wheelies are all well and coherently covered. But there's no real sense of progress, and the authors give the impression they would rather be talking to fellow racers than taking time with beginners or recreational riders looking to add a few skills to their repertoire.

It is all written in irritating mountain bike magazine jargon which serves only to irritate and obscure rather than illuminate. Everything is "dialed". Of course. The overall tone is that of a 13-year-old boy pulling wheelies in front of his house.

One can only guess at the authors' motivation for going into details about death, paralysis and broken limbs on the trail or racecourse. Bravado has its place, but not in a training manual. Then again, the main theme of the book does seem to be "whatever you do, don't use the brakes".


Great guidance for all styles of riding, 29 Feb 2008
If you only ever buy one mountain bike tuition book make sure that this is it. Ive only been riding just over a year and ive found every part of this book really useful. It covers loads of subjects, including everything from basic riding techniques to more complicated trials, jumping and racing topics. Its all very well laid out with lots of pictures and despite the opinion of some that it may be hard for beginners to understand due to jargon terms, I still class myself as a novice and had no problem understanding it. Besides, if there are any terms you are unsure of, there is always that wonderful invention, the internet, which is always willing and able to explain things to you....... ENJOY YOUR RIDING!

Buy it, you'll learn something., 22 Jan 2008
I've only been riding mountain bikes since this spring and a mate got me this for Christmas. I enjoy doing some off road stuff but most of what the book shows is well beyond what I'm likely to get into so I initially read it without expecting to get much out of it. Boy did I get a surprise. Within a week I'd managed to incorporate much of what is in the early chapters into my riding and I'm finding I've got a lot more confidence and am attacking the trail far more than I did before. As far as the later chapters go (jumping, dropping and such like) maybe one day it'll be something I want to look at but it's definitely fun to read about in the meantime.

As for the language, some of it is a bit Southern Californian but I managed to work my way round it. I'm still laughing about him suggesting that I might want to learn to "pump the backside".

MTB Masterclass, 12 Nov 2007
Just got this book from Amazon and it is a truly fantastic guide to MTB (and more) techniques! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone, it takes you through just about every aspect of the sport you could think of, and my riding capabilities and confidence have grown dramatically already! If you are into mountain biking, be it XC, dirt, 4X, DH and you know you need help with your technique but don't want to spend a fortune on courses, get this. Its great.

The Complete Day Skipper, 09 Apr 2008
I found this bookto be very well written and informative, he certainly knows his stuff and whilst the book has been around for a while it is still very relevant and well worth buying.

A good Course Primer, 19 Oct 2004
Very well written and provides the key elements of the RYA Day Skipper course . I read it before the course and it all made sense and was a big help on my early outings in the boat. Though it is not a substitute for the course .
Unless you get a copy of the complete RYA course notes , it pulls together the course material and hence is a good point of reference.

Excellent for intermediate/advanced skiers who have had formal lessons!, 17 Feb 2007
I have to say that for me (can ski anything on-piste) this book is fab!!

It is ideal for good skiers who have had formal lessons in the past on snow. It won't make as much sense if you were taught by mates as the chapters build on the traditional snowplough, stem turn, parallell approach. Having learnt in Italy and France i got so far and then started to struggle on sustaining good technique on steeper slopes. In the last couple of years I have had 2 private lessons by an English & a Canadian instructor who were able to communicate the 'feel and flow' parts of the skiing technique that I was missing on carving skis. Like many I tried to apply the way I had been taught 15 years ago to newer carving ski technology which does not work.

As soon as I started reading I knew exactly what the author was talking about. The drills were similar to those in the 3 hours of private lessons that I had had. What I was reading made sense and I could easily apply it to my skiing.

If you just want to ski and not bothered by technique then this is not the book for you. If you are willing to read it and practise some of the techniques and drills then they will benefit your skiing. Having now skied 9 weeks out of the last 15 years I found his advice and instruction very useful as did my mate (her partner has still not forgiven me for lending it to her -something to do with her reading it at 5am by headtorch!)

The chapters on equipment are very useful. Skiing technology just keeps changing and his descriptions are easy to understand. Out of the group I have just been with they helped one skier sort heel lift with orthotics, another with black toe problems and another whose skiing was adversely affected as the flex was adjusted wrongly - our skiing all massively improved as a result.

I can't agree with all the comments!, 20 Nov 2006
It's a good basic book and a useful reference. But it won't make you a good skier and it certainly won't make you "an advanced skier overnight".

If you're anything but a beginner take a look at "The Athletic Skier" by Warren Witherell and see what a really good ski manual is all about.

Top notch - still a reference book for me, 24 Oct 2006
I'm a Ski Instructor and can heartily recommend this book.. especially the section on "you can blame your equipment sometimes" ! I used it myself a few years ago when I was preparing for my instructor exams and found it an excellent read. The exercises are useful too and some of them have found their way into a number of my high-end lessons.

It's also good in that it's a modern book - ski technology has changed over the years and therefore so has technique. This book is up to date, as opposed to some (although still excellent in some areas) other books that are now becoming dated.

As others have said, it's not a book for beginners but if you have an idea of proper ski control, body management etc. it can give you a good headstart for a week away and will make an instructors life easier when you go for tune-up lessons !

It just clicks ater reading this book!, 22 Jan 2006
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For someone interested in skiing well, especially the technical side of things, this book is a god send!

The author explains things in a detailed manner which is really easy to take on board.

I read this book before skiing for two weeks in Austria, on the third day I was skiing fast,(let's face it anybody can) but with perfect control,(not many people can) on any run. It seems like when an instructor is repeating the same thing over and over again your brain just dosen't take it in. However, once you've realised for yourself what you should be donig, it just clicks!

The book is is split into common sensed chapters starting with building a collection of basic skills, the author calls this a tool box, tackling basics like; stance, edging, pressure control then moves onto specific techniques for powder, moguls and steeps among other things blending tools from the toolbox to hone a good technique in the differint conditions.

I concentrated on one chapter per day, practicing what the author preached. It worked great. There is drills to help emphasis certain technique particulars and also trouble shooting section in each chapter if you still have problems.

One of my favourite things in each chapter is that the author tells you what you should see and feel through the skis and your tracks when you get it right. Often this is very simple and you may remember from previuos experience when you have got it right. However, sometimes it's very discreet and you would never have realised.

There is also a good section on tuning skis referring to edge angle and binding tuning, although it is a bit ahead of my standard but worth a read never the less.

By working with this book you could easily be one of those people everyone watches from the lift!

This book is well worth the money and I would definatley buy it if you feel your not getting anywhere with lessons. Maybe your just sick of waiting for all the slow ones to catch up! Lessons aren't cheap at the end of the day and it's a fraction of the price.

Although I have skied before a with a good level of instruction, my skiing and understanding of it definatley improved due to this book. Everyone has give 5 stars for a reason, thats why I bought it.

The best ski book. For anyone except total beginners., 21 Jan 2004
Some people will never be able to get any benefit from reading a book on a sport. Not everyone can take the knowledge of _how_ something should be done and the advice on how it should look/feel, and be thinking about it when they are trying to perform the action later. For them, all such books are wasted efforts.

Luckily for me I get real benefits from these sorts of books if they are done well. Especially in sports that are technical and often counter-intuitive, which skiing certain is.

This book is superb example of a sports manual and it does all that one could hope for in a book.

For me the most useful aspects of the book are:
- the author explaining to you in detail what is happening when you ski, how it works, what your body does and what the skis do
- how it should _feel_ to do something right. This allows you to have a goal to work towards and goes some way to addressing the disadvantages of not having an instructor.
- the drills

The overall structure of the book is also a strong point. The author breaks down 'skiing' into stance, steering, edging, body movement etc and goes into great detail on each. This helps you to target areas more specifically and find where lies the weakness that seems to be holding you back.

There is also a great section on choosing your equipment, and perhaps more importantly, having it set up correctly.

Later on in the book the chapters move away from this 'toolbox' approach and onto how a skier should use their tools ski in a certain manner and to deal with different terrain and conditions (steeps, crud, trees, bumps).

This sections of the book feels like getting the best advice your instructor/friends ever gave you. Certainly you then have to get out there and do it in order to learn, but at least you know what you should be doing, how it should feel, what your problems may be etc.

I have already gone on long enough, but in closing I would remind anyone reading how much even 1 hour of tuition costs. Even if you don't get as much out of this book as I did it is a bargain, and the _only_ book I would recommend.

I would defy anyone to read it and not feel that they have learned something which they can use to improve their skiing.

Excellent book for twin engined motor boaters, 24 Mar 2003
Overall this is an excellent book for people about to embark on the Day Skipper practical course. It gives clear and consise guidance and tips and allows the new skipper to think about his priorities. It has to be said that the book is of less use (but certainly not useless) to those with single engined boats.

An excellent preparation for the RYA Day Skipper course, 22 Aug 2001
This book is well written and logically ordered. The authors have clearly given a lot of thought to the demands of handling a motor cruiser, particularly if you are new to the area.

I have gained a lot of practical knowledge from it and often use it for reference, especially when I have friends who are new to motor cruising on board.

It is designed for inboard engines, as is the RYA course it is clearly designed to accompany.

Suitable if you have a boat with 2 propellers, 30 Jul 2001
The book is well written and gives relevant information about seamanship. However sections like advanced motoring techniques or procedures for leaving a berth and arrival are valid for boats with 2 propellers and if you have a boat with one propeller (i.e. an outboard engine), it doesn't help at all. Therefore I'm disappointed with what I get out of it.

Encore, 23 Jan 2007
Whether