"Driving to Greenland" (1994) Peter Stark. Outside writer Stark's collection of witty and harrowing essays on the joys of extreme sport in cold locales, including ski jumping, the luge ("when something goes wrong, you can hear it happen") and arctic dog sledding, should appeal to the winter sports enthusiast and the armchair traveler alike.

"Hope Mountain" (1988) Jon Land. Set in a ski school for the disabled, this small, engaging novel is built around the lives of three people in need of salvation: Jamie, a former hot-shot skier and instructor at the school whose life has been adrift since a serious ski accident years ago; Matt, a troubled teen who lost part of his leg in a car wreck; and his sister Jen, who is overcome with guilt because she was the driver. The book's underlying theme of the magic of sports for the disabled is subtly presented.

"A Pictorial History of Downhill Skiing" (1985). Stan Cohen. A comprehensive and lively account of milestones in ski technology, fashion and lifestyles from the California gold rush to the present. Entertaining period photographs and well-researched text.

"Colorado Hut to Hut: A Guide to Skiing, Hiking & Biking in Colorado's Backcountry" (1995) Brian Litz. Color photos of 56 huts featured, along with avalanche danger information. difficulty level, travel times and elevations, make this guide indispensable to the intrepid cross-country skier who seeks overnight lodging. Litz offers thoughtful safety advice, recommends topographical maps (not included) and provides enough hut etiquette tips to help keep the peace.

"Miracle on the Mountain" (1998) Mike and Mary Couillard, William and Marilyn Hotter. True story of a father-son ski day on Kartalkaya Mountain in Turkey that turns deadly. A combination of blizzard conditions and a wrong turn results in a suspenseful struggle for survival and a massive 10-day search. Written from alternating perspectives, with a strong religious theme.

"The Fall Line" (1994) Mark T. Sullivan. A Grisham-style thriller whose main character, Jack Farrell, an adventurer and former loan officer, is on the lam from federal agents and international drug dealers after getting mixed up in a money-laundering scheme. With a new identity and surgically altered face, Jack flees to the Utah mountains, where he's recruited into daredevil skiing stunts by a sexy filmmaker – and pursued by his past, resulting in a dramatic climax in the Grand Tetons.

"Alpine Circus" (1999) Michael Finkel. This author loves to ski. Anywhere, anytime. So he journeys to Sarajevo to test the postwar Bosnian Alps; schusses through Iran and China; slogs to the oxygen-depleted heights of Mount Kilimanjaro; and ventures into New York City's Central Park after a generous snowstorm. He even tries out a runaway truck ramp on 1-70 near Vail. This light, eccentric study of one man's passion for the sport is compulsively readable.

Would-be jet-setters can find travel guide books, videos, magazines and maps at all 23 Denver Public Library locations. – List compiled by Lisa Flavin, a librarian in the general reference and non-fiction department.