From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by his intense, charismatic father. While his friends were riding bikes and playing ball, young Norman was whisked away in pursuit of wild and demanding adventures. These exhilarating tests of skill prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless champion—and ultimately saved his life.

In February 1979, a chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard. Norman's father was dead, and the devastated eleven-year-old had to descend the treacherous, icy mountain alone. Norman defied the elements and put his father's passionate lessons to work, becoming the sole survivor of the crash.

Set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of Malibu and Mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting memoir recalls Ollestad's childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him—and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. Crazy for the Storm illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, offering remarkable insight for us all.