"I still remember the moment I first saw his open, jovial face, that one-of-a-kind smile, the lively and luminous eyes that seemed that they might be laughing even more.

I should have understood already from that smile who he would truly become, what he would represent for me, for us, for everyone, for history."

Saint Pope John Paul II was an avid sportsman, a skilled skier, and a lover of the outdoors. That much is known.

But the story of his secret trips to the mountains with a handful of his closest friends has remained hidden—no longer.

For the first time in English, join Lino Zani, John Paul II's ski guide and friend, for a behind-the-scenes look at the Pope away from the Vatican.

The Secret Life of Pope John Paul II is the story of the Pope as you've never seen him before, at play and prayer in his beloved mountains.