Outsider: An Evening with Brett Popplewell
Join the Whistler Museum and Whistler Public Library for a conversation with Brett Popplewell, author of 2023 national bestseller Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past.
When journalist Brett Popplewell first heard about Dag Aabye, an aging former stuntman who lived alone in a school bus on a mountain, running day and night through blizzards and heat waves, he was intrigued and bewildered. Captivated by the seemingly implausible tale of a wild super-athlete aging more slowly than the rest of us, he was determined to meet the apocryphal white-haired man who was pushing the boundaries of the human mind and body beyond what anyone could dream was possible.
What Popplewell witnessed on a secluded mountain perch led him on a six-year odyssey to uncover the true story of the 81-year-old man. Outsider takes readers on a remarkable journey from Nazi-occupied Norway to Argentina and British Columbia. The book chronicles how a child born under mysterious circumstances during World War II finds his way onto the big screen in Goldfinger, is heralded as the world’s first extreme skier, and is later driven into the wilderness. Both joyful and tragic, Outsider presents a bold challenge to our notions of aging, belonging and human accomplishment.
Dag Aabye made his mark on Whistler after arriving as a ski instructor in 1966. He became known for his first ski descents on Whistler Mountain, including Don’t Miss and the Weekend Chutes, and for his stunts such as jumping off the roof of the Cheakamus Inn (on skis).
Brett’s book will be available to purchase courtesy of Armchair Books.
