Off the Chain

Off the Chain takes readers on a wild ride through the rise of snowboarding, from its hippie origins in the backwoods of Vermont and California to its present incarnation as a $150 billion global industry. Illustrated with 100 color photographs, Off the Chain begins with the sport s early days, when the pioneers built their own boards and snuck onto the slopes. Author Rebagliati profiles snowboarding s most notorious figures, explores the nature of snowboarding culture, and tells what touring as a young World Cup snowboarder is like. He traces the mainstreaming of the sport, the evolution of snowboard fashion, and the emergence of Shaun White as snowboarding s first megastar. He s unsparing in revealing the sport s more controversial aspects, from groupies to drugs, including his own experience having his gold medal revoked and then restored after failing a drug test. Rebagliati pulls no punches in this lively mix of personal memoir and sports history."