Fierce Country - by Heather Hansman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The inspiring, untold story of three incredible women who spearheaded recreation, conservation and resilience in America's most beloved landscapes, for readers of Pam Houston and David Grann

In the spring of 1945, when just a handful of people had been through the Grand Canyon in boats, Georgie White jumped into the river in just a lifejacket and swam through the rapids. She spent the rest of her life bringing people through the canyon, kickstarting river running and the recreation industry.

While Georgie was guiding the river, pioneering wilderness guide Anne LaBastille protected endangered species and predicted the impacts of climate change from her isolated, off-grid cabin in the Adirondacks. Meanwhile, groundbreaking powder skier Dolores LaChapelle was developing an environmental philosophy that shaped everything from the radical environmental movement of the '70s to modern conservation ethics.

All three women were obsessed with the places they love and unwilling to compromise about being outside. They were relentless and revolutionary. But they were largely ignored except in small circles.

Now, outdoor journalist and celebrated author of Powder Days Heather Hansman goes deep into three rugged American landscapes to bring these women's fascinating lives to the forefront of the outdoor movement, affirming the rightful place in the larger story of an evolving American wild.

Review Quotes

Praise for Powder Days

"A sparkling account of one woman's passion and enduring love of powder."--Wall Street Journal

"A riveting plunge into ski culture... [Powder Days] is as exhilarating as the act of skiing itself."--Publishers Weekly STARRED review

"An entertaining and eye-opening look at the history and economics of skiing and ski resorts in the United States."--Library Journal

"Superbly reported and lyrical."--Outside Magazine

"Entertaining...blade-sharp...[Hansman's] passion for the sport shimmers on every page, with prose as smooth as a turn in dry powder."--San Francisco Chronicle

An in-depth look at a fascinating sports culture from a respected ski journalist."--New York Post, Best Books of the Week

"A love letter to the freedom seekers, the fun hogs, the dirt bags--the ones our culture hasn't yet managed to tame. This is a timely, sharply observed, and beautifully written story of wildness and obsession."--Susan Casey, New York Times bestselling author of The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean

"An enchantingly lyrical ode to the peculiar allure of the cold, the steep, the remote, the hard, the fast, and the fallen. I was never a ski bum, but this book makes me wish I had been."-- Robert Moor, New York Times bestselling author of On Trails: An Exploration