Crazy for the Storm
A Memoir of Survival
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Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing at a very young age by the father he idolized. Often paralyzed by fear, young Norman resented losing his childhood to his father’s reckless and demanding adventures, even as he began to reap the rewards of his training.
Then, in February 1979, a chartered Cessna carrying eleven-year-old Norman, his father, his father’s girlfriend Sandra and the pilot, crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains. Norman’s father -- a man who was both his son’s coach and hero -- was dead, along with the pilot; Sandra was clinging to life. Suspended at over 8,000 feet and engulfed in a blizzard, grief-stricken Norman descended the icy mountain alone. Putting his father’s passionate lessons to work, he defied the elements and made it down alive -- the sole survivor of the crash.
A compulsive, page-turning read, at times nostalgic and heart-wrenching, Crazy for the Storm illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, and offers remarkable insight to us all.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Crazy for the Storm
“Crazy for the Storm is tragic and exotic . . . [with] short, punchy chapters and . . . adrenaline-fueled excitement. But the spirit of the lost father prevails. And it helps to shape a third generation. . . . this tough-guy adventure story is also a sentimental journey.”
-- The New York Times
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“Breathtaking. . . . A portrait of a father’s consuming love for his son, Crazy for the Storm will keep you up late into the night.”
-- The Washington Post
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“A heart-stopping story, beautifully told.”
-- Russell Banks
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Crazy for the Storm
Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing at a very young age by the father he idolized. Often paralyzed by fear, young Norman resented losing his childhood to his father’s reckless and demanding adventures, even as he began to reap the rewards of his...
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Crazy for the Storm Unabridged CD
From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. Yet it was these exhilarating tests of skill that prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless...
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