‘Warren Miller’s 75’

The Town Hall theater in Middlebury was the happening scene for ski and snowboard enthusiasts of all ages on Wednesday, Nov. 20, for a special roadshow screening of “Warren Miller’s 75.” Now, if you’re like me-a person who gets queasy the moment I step off a ski lift, or if  the mere mention of the phrase, “Mad River Glen: Ski it if you can,” brings up nightmares of a one-time run down an iced-over trail, hoping and praying I’d make in one piece if I managed to survive at all-you may not know who Warren Miller is. However, if you are like so many avid ski and snowboarders who call Vermont home or who make your way to this fine state come the sound of those first snow guns firing on Killington, you know who Warren Miller is and what it means to watch one of his ski films.

Thus, Wednesday evening began my formal education into the legendary skier and filmmaker whose ski films date back to 1949. Although Warren Miller passed away in 2018, his spirit and legacy live on with these films that bring the thrills and adventure of pure skiing to global audiences.

This new entry consists of 10 segments featuring a Who’s-Who of skiing and snowboarding icons, including Selema Masakela, Shaun White, Caite Zeliff, Jeremy Jones, LJ Henriquez, Max Hitzig, Danny Davis, Parkin Costain, Toby Miller, JJ Thomas, Alex Ferreira, Lexi duPont, Noah Maisonet, Zeb Powell, Daron Rahlves, Connery Lundin, Aaron Blunck, Mark Abma, Cassie Sharpe, Juho Kilkki, Luis Medearis, Cass Jones, and Mia Jones.

I’m a newbie when it comes to watching a Warren Miller jam. Still, aside from maybe some of the younger in attendance (and there was more than one 4-year-old at my screening), the sold-out crowd at the Town Hall Theater, some 200-strong, were no rookies—these were veterans, all skiing and snowboarding fanatics. And no, no one had to tell me. I may not ski, but I can spot someone who does. You can see it in their eyes, that hunger, the longing, that insatiable need to get onto the slopes. These films are an entry point for the desire to take the sport to the extreme. And when I use the term extreme, oh, I mean it.

Are you looking for heli-skiing and cutting trails down steep rocky cliffs off mountainsides? Only the most experienced alpinist would dare traverse on foot but never mind on skis. Yeah, this film’s got that. Backcountry snowboarding in Japan and jumping upside down over trees? I’ll confess, I don’t know how anyone learns to do that, but 15-year-old phenom LJ Henriquez makes it seem as simple as breathing.

This 2-hour experience, which included a 15-minute intermission during which the event hosts gave out prizes and announced raffle winners, was a lot for a novice such as myself to take in. I would have benefited from some on-screen captions that let viewers know precisely what other-worldly mountain or resort we were visiting next. I recognize most in attendance likely knew what breath-taking vistas we were gazing upon, but I had to listen to the athletes on screen to determine where they were.

As to the quality of the filmmaking on display, I can’t speak to how an avid skier or snowboarder would view the film. How does it stack up against the 74 other Warren Miller films? I cannot tell you. But, as a first-time viewer, I was left impressed and dazzled by the feats of otherworldliness I saw captured on screen by athletes who truly possess skills only a few gifted daredvils can lay claim to at this high-level magnitude of pure-stoke adrenaline. It is clear from what I watched that there is no cinematic trickery here. No CGI, no AI, no bluescreen; these athletes are the real deal. The crew of talented videographers shot all the work of athletes operating at the highest level. And while the talent on hand for this 75th installment are all seasoned experts, in a segment late in the film, when a few 12-year-old boys skied down a mountainside at Palisades Tahoe, I realized to do the thing, one must possess the spirit to conquer, and there is no age requirement for that.

For those looking to catch “Warren Miller’s 75” on the big screen, there will be an upcoming screening at Long Trail School in Dorset, VT,  on Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

For more information and tickets, go to: warrenmiller.com.