Of all the subjects that soar in black and white, skiing is second only to Ingrid Bergman. Ray Atkeson’s Vintage Skiing, published by Familius (an imprint of Workman), offers proof. In shades between midnight and ice, these photographs catch the sport’s poetics pre-fiberglass. Wooden skis propped up in several feet of snow. The precarious chairlifts of yore. The perfectly symmetrical tracks of a brave soul hiking into an undisturbed bowl. The killer outfits, complete with leather belt and cashmere sweater. Major air. And enough fluffy pow to make everyone want to hit the slopes. As the filmmaker Warren Miller said, summing up the feel of the book and the sport: “A pair of skis are the ultimate transportation to freedom.” —J.V.