By T. Ghezzi
(Nonfiction, 2024)
“The Darkest White” is written by New York Times bestselling author Eric Blehm. The book is an in-depth, well-researched, and unbiased story of the legendary Pacific Northwest snowboarder Craig Kelly’s extraordinary life and his premature death. Devastating and controversial, on January 20, 2003, the Durran Glacier avalanche in the northern Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, claimed the life of Craig and six other people.
Many snowboarders and skiers in this region know or are familiar with Craig’s story and the outcome of the avalanche, so I think it’s important to point out why Blehm’s book stands out and is so essential to snowboard history and culture. Blehm spent over five years researching and chronicling the storied career of Craig. While writing about Craig’s untimely death, Blehm stayed objective as he pushed for the truth of what really happened that horrific day. Blehm is no stranger to the snowboard world and was the editor of “TransWorld SNOWboarding Magazine” from 1992 to 1997.
Blehm masterfully takes us through Craig’s journey as latchkey kid in Mount Vernon, Washington, to his time as a world champion, to becoming one of snowboarding’s first superstars. Seemingly at the height of his career, Craig walks away from the fame and fortune to focus on the snow-covered mountains and his aspiration of becoming a certified backcountry mountain guide, which ultimately took his life.
“The Darkest White” is by far the best snowboard biography/memoir I have ever read and I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to spend time in the powdery backcountry or learn more about snowboard history.
