Craig Dostie's Revealing Interview with Eric Blehm re: Avalanches, Craig Kelly & The Darkest White.

Craig Dostie, the founding Editor of Couloir Magazine —and the man who coined the phrase, "Earn Your Turns" for backcountry skiing and snowboarding—interviews New York Times best-selling author, Eric Blehm about his latest book, The Darkest White, A Mountain Legend and the Avalanche That Took Him.

Dostie and Blehm go way back, and it shows during this slopeside conversation at Backcountry Magazine's Backcountry Basecamp at Loveland Basin, Colorado in the Spring of 2025. They discuss Craig Kelly and his death in the 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche—a devastating and controversial tragedy that claimed the lives of seven people.

On January 20, 2003, a thunderous crack rang out and a violent tide of snow barreled down the northern Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, burying thirteen skiers and snowboarders. Among them was Craig Kelly—“the Michael Jordan of snowboarding”—a world champion who had propelled the sport into the mainstream before walking away from competitions to rekindle his passion in the untamed alpine wilds of North America.

The Darkest White tells the story of Craig Kelly’s life, an extraordinary and inspiring odyssey of a latchkey kid whose athletic prowess and innovations revolutionized winter sports, carried him around the globe, and pushed him into increasingly extreme backcountry environments. It is also a definitive, immersive account of how snowboarding grew from a minor Gen X cult hobby to Olympic centerpiece and a billion-dollar business full of feuds and rivalries. This mesmerizing tribute is a cautionary portrait of the mountains, of the allure and the glory they offer, and of the avalanches they unleash with unforgiving fury.

Reviews and Praise for The Darkest White:

"The most unremittingly exciting book of nonfiction I have come across in recent years. I found myself reading late into recent nights wholly transfixed by every paragraph, every word." — Simon Winchester, The New York Times Book Review

“Mr. Blehm’s description of Kelly’s meticulous training . . . and his minute-by-minute account of the fateful day leading up to Kelly’s demise, make this book as riveting as any thriller.” — Wall Street Journal

“Eric Blehm offers an insightful perspective on how Craig Kelly became the effortless icon that we all revered as well as sobering details of how his heroic journey tragically ended. The Darkest White is a must read, not just for fans of snowboarding, but for anyone looking for inspiration from an unlikely hero.” — Tony Hawk

"Eric Blehm has written a gripping and heartfelt story of a bold, short life well-lived. The Darkest White is both a fine elegy to a majestic athlete and a perceptive study of the tantalizing call of wilderness and how the mountains seduce us.” — Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of In the Kingdom of Ice and Blood and Thunder

“When I started snowboarding, Craig was already a true legend in the sport. Growing up, I always looked up to him. He inspired me and so many other riders. I just wish I got to ride with him more." — Shaun White

“The Darkest White grabbed me and didn’t let go." — Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Terminal List series

“The Darkest White is a little like riding a magic carpet through a white out. I haven't read a winter saga this good since John Branch's Snowfall, which won the Pulitzer.” — John Long, adventurer, climber and award-winning author of Gorilla Monsoon, Icarus Syndrome, and Granite Mariner

"Impressive reporting offers new insight into [Craig] Kelly’s final hours, and the author’s empathetic portrayal of Kelly as a purist who 'turned his back on business deals, high-dollar sponsorship contracts, and . . . prize money' to return to the 'powdery backcountry that had first drawn him to his calling' will resonate even with those unfamiliar with his legacy. It’s a stirring tribute to a talent gone too soon." — Publishers Weekly

"Blehm recounts in gripping detail the terrifying disaster, the desperate rescue efforts, and the ensuing investigations into the cause. A stirring adventure narrative and sports bio." — Kirkus Reviews

"In The Darkest White, Eric Blehm skillfully chronicles the remarkable life and terrifying demise of legendary snowboarder Craig Kelly, whose journey from youthful shredder to pioneering icon transformed winter sports. With narrative precision and descriptive beauty, Blehm immerses readers into the highs and lows of Kelly's career, exploring the captivating world of snowboarding, its cultural explosion, and the ruthless forces of nature that ultimately claimed the life of this sensational athlete." — Neal Bascomb, author of Faster and The Perfect Mile

This interview was first published on the Earn Your Turns YouTUBE Channel and is published here with permission.
More info: www.ericblehm.com