Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past

NATIONAL BESTSELLERWinner of the 2024 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-FictionFinalist for the Ottawa Books AwardsInto the WildmeetsBorn to RunmeetsThe Stranger in the Woodsin a fascinating true story of a marathon-running hermit and a journalist¡¯s quest to solve the mystery at the core of the enigmatic man¡¯s existenceWhen journalist Brett Popplewell first heard about Dag Aabye, an aging formerstuntmanwho lived aloneinsidea school bus on a mountain, runningday 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 ofthe 81-year-oldman.Outsidertakes 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 inGoldfinger, 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.