THE FALL LINE: A SKIER'S JOURNAL.

By John C. Tobin '42. Foreword by TomCorcoran '54. New York: Meredith Press,1969. 16 plates of photographs. $6.95.

To skiers at any level, this book will prove of great interest, and it is a must for all who have engaged in Alpine, Veteran, and Dartmouth competitive skiing. Using his own skiing and outdoor experiences, Jack Tobin traces from the beginning to the present an informal picture of various phases of the sport. Weaving threads of equipment and the development of techniques into a fabric of competitive skiing, he focuses names, dates, and events with amazing detail, accuracy, and clarity.

On the slopes of Suicide Six in Wood-stock and the Nosedive in Stowe the "name" skiers from the 1930's to the 1960's come to life. We feel part of their skiing efforts and their "after skiing" pursuits. In deft descriptions Jack captures the personalities of many of the best racers in the world, and he enables us to sympathize with their dedication, admire their perseverance, enjoy their successes, and lament their failures in r;aching the top. We live again the era of baggy trousers, Amstutz springs, and happy golucky informality of the 1930's to the high-pressured publicity of the present day with intense emphasis on precision binding, $200 skis, stream-lined clothing, and the luxury and sophistication of millionaire ski resorts.

The recreational skier will find many helpful hints on technique, places to ski, and useful equipment along with humorous anecdotes about people and events all the way from St. Anton, Kitzbuhl, and Cortina to Sugarbush and Aspen. From his own practical experiences, Jack will pass on to you some suggestions about cutting down the high costs of skiing without loss of pleasure.

Even though Jack avails himself of his own personal experiences, he expresses himself in commenting on his trials and successes with such humor and humility that he carries a reader along in the best of humor. The book is not all cold, snow, and skiing. Jack interpolates occasionally and skilfully comments about his Navy days, girl chasing, and other warm human adventures.

Written by a racer for the racer, would-be racer, and the has-been racers with variety, change of pace, and important suggestions for skiers at all levels of ability, The FallLine is indeed an outstanding contribution to the skiing world.

The value of the book is enhanced by several pages of foreword by Tom Corcoran, a skier of formidable courage, who in recent years has done a first-class job in building the Waterville Valley. Because of Jack and other colorful racers of the 1930's and 1940's whom Tom idolized, Tom never considered any college but Dartmouth.

Tom remarks that no one can beat Jack as historian of the fall line.

Member of a family of illustrious skiers whohave made Dartmouth athletic history, Mr.Chivers, a member of the 1937 AmericanTeam who raced in Chile and of the 1940Olympic team, has built up and now manages The Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme.