Extreme Sports Books

By Sharael Feist

National Geographic has come out with a fun new line of "Extreme Sports" books for the younger audience. These 64-page books are filled with fun facts and information about various outdoor adventure sports. There are also loads of colorful graphics and photographs that make the books just as much fun to look at as they are to read.

Here's a more detailed look at a few of the books:

  • Snowboard! by Joy Masoff -- This book discusses various types of snowboarding, such as half pipe, alpine, and backcountry. It defines different types of moves, like the ollie and grab--and shows how to do the moves. The book also touches upon competition: how competitions are judged, how to become a competitor and the Olympics. Another section tells the history of snowboarding. Lastly, the book touches upon safety and gear.
  • Climb! by Pete Takeda -- For kids wanting to learn more about climbing, this book covers bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing, ice climbing, big wall climbing, indoor climbing and alpinism. The bouldering chapter talks about gear, holds, moves, technique and has a climber's glossary. The sport climbing section covers key terms, rope, and how to fall. The trad climbing section tells how to find a path, discusses trad gear, and where to climb. The ice climbing chapter discusses ice picks, types of ice, swinging, and where to find frozen waterfalls. The alpine climbing section covers life high on the mountain, packs, crampons, and various types of terrain. Lastly, the book covers ethics and competition.
  • Ski! by Pamela Pollack -- This book covers various types of skiing, including downhill, cross-country, telemarking, freestyle and extreme. The chapter on downhill skiing touches upon types of snow, turning, lingo, types of courses, and lists profiles of famous skiers. The cross-country chapter discusses boots, skis, poles, techniques, and racing. The section on telemarking covers linking turns and lingo. The chapter on extreme skiing goes into powder, steep slopes, skiing out of bounds, cornices, avalanches, big air, and speed. The freestyle chapter discusses aerials, moguls, and acros. Lastly, the book covers safety, etiquette, and conditioning.

Here are other National Geographic Extreme Sports books: Skateboarding!, Dive!, and Bike!. For information on how to order these books, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

About the Author:

I have a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Hawaii. Combining my interest in alternative sports with my passion for writing, I cover topics such as sailing, canoe paddling, kayaking, snowboarding, rock climbing, and mountain biking for a variety of publications.

I began my journalism career as a staff writer for the University of Hawaii newspaper, Ka Leo O Hawaii, then became a correspondent for Hawaii Paddler magazine. Soon after graduating from college, I moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in the high tech industry. I continued my education, focusing on multimedia, and became a Web producer. I try to combine my journalism experience and Web production skills to create Web sites related to outdoor/adventure sports.

I have written about sports and recreation for Working Woman magazine, Outside Magazine Online, Marin Independent Journal, AmericaTrue.org, BayInsider.com, CitySearch7.com, About.com, the San Francisco Independent, Latitude 38, and the Marina Times.

Having lived in Hawaii for nearly eight years, I am experienced at crewing on racing yachts, catamarans, and sailing canoes. I also competed in outrigger canoe races, and spent many winters in California working in the skiing/snowboarding industry. Sharael currently lives the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband Jeff.

Article courtesy of www.suite101.com.