Avid skiers know how it feels to be on the mountain, but few can put words to it. Some skiers crave blue skies or deep powder, but there are little things that stir a skier's deeper passion to be on the mountain.

Alta skier Jamie Covington connects that passionate need to ski with real life. She jots thoughts into her phone as she rides the lifts and that evolved into her book, The Ski Philosopher.

Her quick insights speak to skiers' souls. “Make time to do what you love even if you have to do it alone. Alone does not equal lonely...”

There are also quips.

"There's nothing quite like the feeling of waking in the morning knowing that today's a ski day. Suddenly I'm a morning person."

... and insightful wisdom. “If you find yourself in the 'backseat' of life, recenter your weight and adjust your posture. See how that feels. Remind yourself what it feels like to take back control.”

The book came about because it had to be written. “Who am I to write a ski book?” she says. “I am not a ski pro. I'm just a girl who loves skiing. The joy of it. The fun. The escape. The solitude and quiet of the mountain. I love it all.

I want “to share, to connect, to encourage all of us to dig a little deeper, find the joy in skiing and allow the lessons that come from a good ski day roll over into your life.”

In addition to being known as a real life Ski Philosopher, Jamie is also a wife, a mother of three, a volunteer who heads the therapeutic Art To Go program at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and she recently launched herself into grad school. Skiing is not an add-on. It's vital to the equilibrium of her life. Maybe it's also vital to your life.

The Ski Philosoper is sold on Amazon as well as at the Park City Museum and Dolly's Bookstore in Park City. Christmas is coming and the skiers on your list will identify with the insights and wisdom of this unique book.

Photos credit / Harriet Wallis