Book: Downhill in Montana

Montana is known for its big skies and even bigger skiing, but how did it all start? Downhill in Montana: Early Day Skiing in the Treasure State and Yellowstone National Park (Pictorial Histories, $25) features hundreds of detailed photos and documents detailing the birth and development of skiing in Montana. Covering dozens of ski hills all around the Treasure state, each section is filled with newspaper articles, pictures, and retro advertisements for the “high-tech” gear of the era. Being a big nostalgia fan, it was hilarious to see my favorite ski hills in black and white pics, proudly advertising their rope-tows and T-bars pulling skiers in wool pants. And photos of full-day adult ski passes for $7.50? Priceless.