Book Report: Deep Powder & Steep Rock
I thought I knew a lot about the life of heli-skiing pioneer Hans Gmoser, having first read about him in Topher Donahue’s book Bugaboo Dreams. However, after reading Deep Powder & Steep Rock: The Life of Mountain Guide Hans Gmoser by Chick Scott, I now recognize that I only knew a small part of the picture, as Deep Powder & Steep Rock delivers a comprehensive look at Gmoser’s life. Documenting the entire journey from an Austrian-born boy who went on to become a legend in the Canadian mountains and the father of heli-skiing.
In many ways, Gmoser’s story is the classic immigrant story and a story that still feels relevant today. Born in post World War 2 Austria, Gmoser’s early life is defined by hardship—not enough money, not enough food, and not enough opportunity. At an early age, Gmoser discovered that his best escape from the harsh realities of daily life is in the mountains. Eventually, in search of a better existence, Gmoser immigrated to Canada (asking to be relocated as close to the mountains as possible) where he would go on to become one of the countries most influential mountaineers, climbers, and skiers.
One of the main takeaways from Deep Powder & Steep Rock is that Gmoser was much more than a skier. In his time Gmoser was a cutting edge climber with notable ascents of Mt. Blackburn, Mt. Logan, and Denali, where his team made the first ascent of the enormous Wickersham Wall in 1963. Additionally, Gmoser also pushed the standards of technical rock climbing in Canada with the first ascent of the 1,000-foot limestone cliff of Yamnuska.
Gmoser was also at the forefront of adventure filmmaking, releasing five films in the late fifties through the mid-sixties and toured across the U.S. and Canada in support of them. In addition to being an adventurer and filmmaker, Gmoser was a mountain guide and helped bring professional guiding standards to Canada—he was a founding member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and was its first technical chairman.
My only complaint with Deep Powder & Steep Rock is that the writing at times can feel tedious, reading like a long Wikipedia page, and fails to match the vigor in which Gmoser lived. Gmoser lived an incredible life in which he accomplished an extraordinary amount and Deep Powder & Steep Rock takes us along for the ride. Pick up Deep Powder & Steep Rock and learn more about this larger than life mountain personality.
By Tim Peck
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