A recent vacation afforded me some quality time between the pages of a few books, one of which was a skiing-centered biography unlike most I’ve read.

“Tracking the Wild Coomba: The Life of Legendary Skier Doug Coombs” was a personal and thoughtful look at Coombs’ iconic ski career.

Coombs, of course, was a pioneering skier in places like Jackson Hole, Alaska and La Grave, France and he led an interesting life leading up to his professional career.

The details of Coombs’ life are fascinating, but the way author Robert Cocuzzo inserts himself into the book lends perspective to Coombs’ life and accomplishments.

Cocuzzo talks about his own skiing experience and how he grew to adore Coombs. He outlines his journey to connect with Coombs’ family and friends across the world and skis some of Coombs’ favorite runs, including the run that ultimately killed the skiing legend.

I’m partial to skiing books because of the subject matter, but this one has a unique of telling Coombs’ story that isn’t strictly linear or a list of facts in his life. Cocuzzo goes to the places Coombs made famous (and vice versa) and tried to recreate the Coombs experience.

The end result is a better understanding of one of skiing’s greatest people and 250-something pages of personal and thoughtful storytelling from Cocuzzo.

MSJ highly recommends this one. Pick it up at your local bookstore or on Amazon.