Ski Legend Dan Egan Releases New Book Chronicling His Worldwide Adventures
Dan Egan and Eric Wilbur’s latest book Thirty Years in a White Haze tells Egan’s story of worldwide adventure and the evolution of extreme skiing. It’s available in the UK from March (with pre-ordering now open).
Featured in 12 Warren Miller Entertainment ski films, on the Discovery Channel, ESPN, Good Morning America, in Powder Magazine, and other media outlets, Dan Egan is an award-winning broadcaster and film producer, and a ski legend who continues to teach and share his love of the sport around the globe. Dan and his brother John Egan, as the Egan Brothers, travelled to some of the world’s most remote regions following the geopolitical events of the 1980s and 1990s. They made first descents on the Berlin Wall, skied beside the Persian Gulf War, and organized the 1993 Middle East Peace Ski in Lebanon; the brothers were willing to ski wherever the world would watch and listen.
The book unravels history as Egan ties together his own family’s story, the ever-present mortality of his namesake, his grandfather’s involvement in desegregating Boston’s (his home town) schools, and the rise of extreme skiing and technology into the new millennium. An ode to a life filled with curiosity, growth, freedom and its costs, Dan Egan and Eric Wilbur’s new book promises a heavy dose of humour, suspense, thrill, and documentary, as thirty years of haze dissipates to clarity.
For anyone that has followed the extreme and freeride ski movement for the past four decades, this book will present an opportunity to get into the mind of one of sports true greats. For everyone else, enjoy the ride as it takes the reader on a journey of the seemingly impossible.
Dan Egan said: “Thirty Years in a White Haze is more than a ski story. Yes, at the centre are our snow adventures, but more importantly, this is an attempt to show the historical connections and generational ties through my family and the evolution of the sport. When I survived my expedition on Mount Elbrus in 1990, it was the beginning of my adult life as I know it today. I was twenty-six years old. For the next thirty years, I’ve had to learn to restructure the patterns caused by that traumatic experience. That trip has touched every aspect of my life: relationships; the ending of my marriage in 2001; post-divorce relationships; business and financial decisions, especially when I’ve felt threatened; and where and why I ski the locations I do today. Thirty Years in a White Haze is my story of how skiing almost killed me and saved me, all at the same time. I hope you enjoy it.”
John, seven years older, competed successfully on both the pro race and mogul circuits, appeared in 17 Warren Miller films, and to this day serves as the VP, Chief Recreation Officer at Vermont’s Sugarbush, where he launched his professional ski career back in 1979. Dan appeared in a dozen Warren Miller films and brought critical business savvy and innovative marketing to the partnership, allowing them to travel the world and pay their bills. The brothers produced many of the Warren Miller segments themselves, and also handled the growing Warren Miller video sales east of the Mississippi. They also made hundreds of appearances as hosts on the film tour. Warren Miller quickly bonded with the Egans because he saw himself in their bootstrap dedication to spreading their love of the sport.
The Egans were founding members of The North Face Extreme Team along with Scot Schmidt, and were featured in the first five Extreme Team films. They took the extreme mantra from the mountains to Madison Avenue, appearing in numerous automotive, beer and soft drink commercials. Long before the advent of You Tube and social media, the Egan Brothers promoted the sport the old fashioned way, on the mountain, through retail appearances, ski shows, X-Team Ski Clinics and film tours. And they performed across the geopolitical landscape, often venturing into war-torn areas with skiing’s message of freedom.
To this day, John and Dan Egan continue to promote the sport and lifestyle they love, and POWDER Magazine has named them among the most influential skiers of all-time. John, whose email user name is “eganbrutha,” founded the Adventure Learning Center at Sugarbush and helped transform the resort into a year-round destination. Dan, who in a diverse and prolific career enjoyed stints as a resort association director, mountain manager, and author – while also producing dozens of award-winning films and TV shows – still manages successful ski clinics that sell out to this day.
Career Highlights – John Egan:
1978-80: John finishes in the top 10 in the Peugeot Pro Racing Tour and then on the Saab Pro Mogul Tour
1979: John makes his first Warren Miller film appearance in “Winter Fever”
1985: John and Dan make their first Egan Brothers appearance in a Warren Miller film; for the next decade they would make more appearances than any other athlete
1990s: The Egans are original members of The North Face Extreme Team and create the apparel line with Scot Schmidt
1990: John and Dan’s “cornice break” segment in “Extreme Winter” becomes most viewed ski segment of all-time
1990: John and Dan climb and ski Mt. Elbrus in Russia and also film at Red Square
Career Highlights – Dan Egan:
1985: John and Dan make their first Egan Brothers appearance in a Warren Miller film; for the next decade they would make more appearances than any other athlete
1990s: The Egans are original members of The North Face Extreme Team and create the apparel line with Scot Schmidt
1990: John and Dan’s “cornice break” segment in “Extreme Winter” becomes most viewed ski segment of all-time
1990: John and Dan climb and ski Mt. Elbrus in Russia and also film at Red Square
1996-2008: Dan Egan produces and stars in his Wild World of Winter series, a nationally syndicated cable TV show
Pre-orders in the UK can be made on Amazon.co.uk, amazon.co.uk/Thirty-Years-White-Haze-Egan/dp/1736492713/
Thirty Years in a White Haze will also be available in other book retailers from March onwards.
