Most people think winter camping means being cold, pure and simple. But that doesn't have to be the case. In this book, Chris Townsend tells how to travel and camp in the winter backcountry - how to choose equipment and clothing, load a pack or sled, pitch a tent, build a snow shelter and stay warm. In addition, Townsend teaches the basic skills of wilderness skiing along with such refinements as the kick turn, the telemark turn, and skating. He covers the use of climbing skins; the repair kit; skiing with a heavy pack; negotiating glaciers and mountain terrain; reading the snow; stream crossings; navigation in blizzards; use of ice axe and crampons; nutrition and water; and avoiding avalanches, frostbite, hypothermia, and injury. Gear and world-wide destination appendixes are also included. A backpacker for more than 20 years, Chris Townsend was hiking through thigh-deep snow in the Rocky Mountains in 1980 when he was passed by two skiers covering three effortless miles for every one of his. He has been a wilderness skier ever since.