[BOOK REVIEW] ‘The Darkest White’ By Eric Blehm

At the dawn of snowboarding there was Craig Kelly, a man who pioneered the sport and pushed it to become what it is today. The first patent application for the snurfer (what eventually became the snowboard) was submitted in March of 1966 by Sherman Poppen, just two weeks before the birth of Craig Kelly. The Darkest White by Eric Blehm covers the incredible life of Kelly and the tragic 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche that took his life and six others.

• Related: Origins: Snowboarding – SnowBrains

The author Eric Blehm is an award-winning author who started his career in journalism writing for TransWorld SNOWboarding, but most importantly, was a friend of Kelly. The story is told through many of Kelly’s journals, more than 350 interviews, and around 120 individuals. The plethora of first-hand stories brings to life the legend of Kelly to those who have never heard of him and reconnects others to the man who inspired the world to ditch their skis for a board.

Blehm breaks the book into four parts, “Competitor”, “Freerider”, “Avalanche”, and “Legend.” From the start, Blehm beautifully dives into Kelly’s childhood where the reader discovers young Kelly and his passionate pursuit of snowboarding and life. Following his competitive career, Kelly embarks on an alternative adventure, tackling some of the world’s most remote peaks and disappearing from the public’s eye for over a year. His transformative journey into the backcountry led him to pursue a career in guiding, and ultimately the fateful avalanche. The tragic events that took place on January 20, 2003, are uplifted by the legend of Kelly that lives on.

Kelly’s rise to the top of the podium is a whirlwind. Born and raised in Washington State, Kelly excelled in school and raising hell. From skipping a grade in elementary school to being the cool kid on the block who could pop wheelies on his bike, Kelly naturally drew attention. Kelly’s family moved a few times within the state before landing in Mt. Vernon after his parents split.

Kelly refers to his time in Mt. Vernon as his “formative years.” This is when Kelly made lifelong friends, took his first turns on a snurfer, and found love. If it wasn’t for snowboarding, Kelly was on the path to become an elite BMX rider and a chemical engineer. Some of Kelly’s first turns were ripping down at Mt. Baker Ski Area before the lifts were spinning (snowboards were not allowed on most ski areas at the time). Those turns hit his core, and from there on snowboarding consumed his life.

Just a few years later in 1985, 18-year-old Kelly found himself shaking hands with Tom Sims to receive his first snowboard sponsorship. Kelly would go on to balance snowboarding and school as he slowly climbed the ranks in the early competitions. Ultimately, Kelly fully committed to snowboarding and left university just a few classes shy of completing his degree.

The Burton-Sims drama and Kelly caught in the middle. The rivalry between the two top snowboard manufacturers at the time was between Burton and Sims. After many unpleasant experiences with Sims, Kelly made the switch to Burton and unintentionally brought the drama with it. Lawsuits loomed during the 1988 season as Kelly continued to ride Burton boards, and ultimately the lawsuit never really amounted to much more than a stack of legal fees.

By the end of Kelly’s competitive snowboard career, he won four world championships and 3 U.S. championships. As his competitive career was drawing to a seemingly premature end, his love for freeriding and the backcountry blossomed. Kelly spent most of the 90s chasing the best snow all around the world, pioneering what is possible on a snowboard.

His new snowboarding endeavor shocked the world. He left the competitive scene at his peak and disappeared for months at a time only to reemerge on the cover of a snowboard magazine somewhere few snowboards have ever been. This period inspired Kelly’s dream to become a mountain guide in British Columbia, Canada, and to chase that dream with his partner Savina and baby Olivia.

At the time snowboarding in the backcountry was difficult and rare. Splitboards (a snowboard that splits in half for uphill travel) were in their infancy and the guiding associations prohibited people from testing on splitboards. Kelly pursued the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and the Canadian Ski Guide Association (CSGA) to become a guide. After being denied by both associations, Kelly didn’t take “no” for an answer and continued to hone his skills and convince those in the industry that splitboarders have a place in the guiding industry.

Kelly’s time came in 2002 when ACMG accepted him as a candidate for the assistant ski guide program. The future was beginning to become clear for him and Savina as he started his training. Kelly completed his mechanized guide training in December 2002. Before his touring guide training in February of 2003, Kelly reached out to Ruedi Beglinger a well-known guide in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia and founder of Selkirk Mountain Experience (SME) to perform his practicum.

At this point in the story, every detail is broken down and analyzed as Blehm spends over half the book covering the events of just a few days. Blehm takes in accounts from nearly every individual who was at SME that week and many others who have skied at SME in the past. All of the interviews and journals are deciphered and laid out in what seems like minute-by-minute coverage leading up to the fateful avalanche on January 20, 2003.

Ultimately, there were 21 people touring that day in two closely spaced groups. One group was led by Beglinger and the other by assistant guide, Ken Wylie. The groups were traversing up La Traviata West Couloir, and 8 of the 21 people had completed the traverse and arrived at the top of the couloir when three avalanches released, one after another. Unfortunately, seven of the 13 buried individuals perished that day, Kelly being one of them.

In events that are only described in The Darkest White, the story of the 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche is analyzed and the details are unpacked. The avalanche and the events preceding the tragedy are worth studying and reflecting upon. What took place that day is a reminder of why all backcountry users listen to the forecast, take avalanche courses, and take precautions to ensure a safe return at the end of the trip.

The impact of the avalanche rippled throughout the snow sports world, especially the snowboard community. The impact Kelly left on his friends, family, and the countless who followed snowboarding is unfathomable. He pioneered a sport through its many phases and spread his kind and passionate demeanor along the way.

Although Kelly never lived his dream of becoming a ski guide, his story has allowed many to accomplish theirs through the Craig Kelly Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Avalanche Canada Foundation. Kelly broke down the barriers separating snowboarders and guiding, and now more than thirty snowboarders have been awarded the scholarship to pursue a career in guiding.

The Darkest White clears the air of a legend that was ahead of his time and a controversial avalanche that had people picking sides since the news broke. Blehm captures the incredible moments of Kelly’s life and those who he inspired, while sharing the lesson and story of the avalanche that took him. This story is, in essence, beautiful, and emotional, and should be the next book on anyone’s list.