The Fall Line: How American Ski Racers Conquered a Sport on the Edge

Vinton (American Icon) takes readers deep inside the sport of downhill racing by focusing on Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller in the year leading up to the U.S. ski team’s historic performance at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Along the way Vinton provides a solid history of the sport. Vonn is depicted as a careerist, a media figure willing to do whatever it takes to become a successful skier; Miller, an iconoclast, is more ambivalent about the trappings of fame. He loves skiing, and he clearly welcomes the race and sponsorship money, but his relationship with the media varies from nonexistent to tense. The contrasts between the two athletes are fascinating, and Vinton, a former ski coach, ably focuses on the essential details and stories in a style reminiscent of David Halberstam. This is an intriguing book that will be devoured by fans as well as those who don’t know a slalom from a super G. [em](Feb.) [/em]