"From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. Yet it was these exhilarating tests of skill that prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless champion-and ultimately saved his life. Flying to a ski championship ceremony in February 1979, the chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard. Norman's father was dead, and the devastated eleven-year-old had to descend the treacherous, icy mountain alone. Set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of Malibu and Mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting memoir recalls Ollestad's childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him-and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. As it illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, Ollestad's powerful and unforgettable true story offers remarkable insight for us all."

I read this book awhile ago and enjoyed it. I liked Ollestad's description of his struggle to survive a horrific plane crash.

To be released at the July 2023 BC-in-DC group meeting!

It was great to see krin511 at today's BC-in-DC meeting! This was one of the books that came home with me to add to my TBR mountain range.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this book. While it is clearly a memoir, that is a bit of an understatement. It really is two memoirs. One is the story of the author's relationship with his father and the adventures they experienced together. The other is a survival story, the author's account of the plane crash that killed his father and his incredible survival. These two stories are told in alternating chapters, and as the book progresses, these chapters become shorter, effectively building the suspense, and it became increasingly difficult to put the book down, even though I ultimately knew how the author's story turned out. As someone who hopes to write his own memoir one day, I can only hope that mine is half as compelling as this one is.

This will be available at today's BC-in-DC meeting.

======================

DEAR FINDER,
Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to making the whole world a library!

If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, we encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold. If you decide to join, consider listing   ResQgeek (or any of the other journalers) as referring you.

Take your time reading the book, and after you finish, please make another journal entry to record your thoughts about it. This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, though we would love for you to share it. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.

I hope you enjoy the book!

I selected this softcover (c. 2009) at today's BCinDC meetup at MOD Pizza in Rockville, Maryland, USA. Thanks for sharing this book with me, ResQGeek.