Ski Director Warren Miller Dead at 93
January 26, 2018 9:31 AM Subscribe
Legendary ski filmmaker Warren Miller died Wednesday night at his home in Orcas Island, Washington. He was 93.
Warren Miller, spent decades making films about skiing, starting in the early 50s and 60s, and continued into the 90s.
Warren Miller, spent decades making films about skiing, starting in the early 50s and 60s, and continued into the 90s.
“His movies always motivated people to go and ski,” says Tom Day, a cinematographer with Warren Miller Entertainment since 1998. “He was able to make a film in an entertaining way that not only represented the sport but also the lifestyle and humor that goes with skiing. He was able to capture that emotion.”A few of his complete films are available on Youtube.
🎿 God bless you, Warren. I hope the powder is always fresh and the runs uncrowded up The Big Chair Lift.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 9:53 AM on January 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Ogre Lawless at 9:53 AM on January 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
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posted by lalochezia at 10:00 AM on January 26, 2018
posted by lalochezia at 10:00 AM on January 26, 2018
♦
posted by chavenet at 10:04 AM on January 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 10:04 AM on January 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
A significant part of my childhood was my parents taking me to see a Warren Miller movie in the fall and then getting all excited for the coming ski season and wishing that it would JUST SNOW ALREADY.
He's also partially to blame for my post high-school ski bum years. When I worked as a night janitor for the Sun Valley resort I found a huge trunk with his name on it in the lodge attic and it was like finding a secret reliquary.
posted by gamera at 10:24 AM on January 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
He's also partially to blame for my post high-school ski bum years. When I worked as a night janitor for the Sun Valley resort I found a huge trunk with his name on it in the lodge attic and it was like finding a secret reliquary.
posted by gamera at 10:24 AM on January 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
Pretty much made Glen Plake, if I recall right.
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posted by Chrysostom at 11:05 AM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by Chrysostom at 11:05 AM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Greg Stump was the up and comer - Blizzard of Aaaahs was pretty excellent (I think it's that one that put Glen Plake on the map). Fun times. Boy could Scott Schmidt ever ski nicely.
posted by parki at 11:07 AM on January 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by parki at 11:07 AM on January 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Ah damn. I loved watching them in the 80s in the Helena Middle School auditorium. The gags were great, and no one in Helena had a bright pink mohawk, it blew my mind.
posted by Brocktoon at 12:31 PM on January 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Brocktoon at 12:31 PM on January 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Man, this was a big thing (relatively) in my West Michigan hometown circa the late '80s / early '90s. Once or twice a year, a Warren Miller film would be shown at a local high school and many hundreds of people would show up (including me and my skiing friends). Lots of great memories there -- thanks Warren!
posted by saintjoe at 3:23 PM on January 26, 2018
posted by saintjoe at 3:23 PM on January 26, 2018
When I moved to the UK my now-husband invited me to go on a ski trip with his friends. We were both very conscious of the fact we hadn’t been dating that long but the trip was a few months away and they were taking names and deposits. But he really wanted me to join the group and I really wanted to as well so we agreed that this meant we’re just going to have to try to become really good friends while dating so that in case it doesn’t work out we could still amicably go on the trip.
Up to the run up of the trip there was a Warren Miller showing in Reading so we got tickets to go. He’d never been skiing or boarding before and by the end of the movie he was STOKED. And they we’re holding a raffle that night and he won a snowboarding jacket! A woman’s snowboarding jacket! I accepted it graciously.
We’ve only seen a couple more of the Warren Miller movies since then but we’re going on our 10th ski/snowboard trip tomorrow.
Thanks, Warren.
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posted by like_neon at 3:29 AM on January 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Up to the run up of the trip there was a Warren Miller showing in Reading so we got tickets to go. He’d never been skiing or boarding before and by the end of the movie he was STOKED. And they we’re holding a raffle that night and he won a snowboarding jacket! A woman’s snowboarding jacket! I accepted it graciously.
We’ve only seen a couple more of the Warren Miller movies since then but we’re going on our 10th ski/snowboard trip tomorrow.
Thanks, Warren.
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posted by like_neon at 3:29 AM on January 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
I am so grateful that my parents raised me and my siblings as ski kids. Our area of the country didn't have huge mountains, but we had some hills with small ski resorts, so every weekend of every winter starting at age 6 they piled us into the station wagon to go skiing. (Then in college I traded my skis for a snowboard, and now every time I move I take 2 snowboards and an outdated pair of bindings with me - had to ditch the boots due to dry rot - but I haven't been on the slopes in over a decade, which is just a tragedy.)
Catching a Warren Miller film on TV was always a nice surprise, and the whole family would gather around the TV to watch and gaze in awe at what it must be like to ski on real mountains, lamenting our icy, packed, "frozen granular", not remotely powdery snow conditions. Having some real nostalgia feels right now.
posted by misskaz at 6:52 AM on January 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Catching a Warren Miller film on TV was always a nice surprise, and the whole family would gather around the TV to watch and gaze in awe at what it must be like to ski on real mountains, lamenting our icy, packed, "frozen granular", not remotely powdery snow conditions. Having some real nostalgia feels right now.
posted by misskaz at 6:52 AM on January 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by snuffleupagus at 5:39 PM on January 29, 2018
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:39 PM on January 29, 2018
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posted by evilDoug at 9:48 AM on January 26, 2018