THE SHOW MUST WITH FACE OF WINTER, WARREN MILLER ENTERTAINMENT KEEPS GO A BELOVED TRADITION ALIVE AND CONTINUES TO SPREAD WARREN’S ON GOSPEL OF SKIING. THIS FALL Warren Miller Entertainment debuts its 69th annual ski film, continuing a tradition that the late godfather of action-sports films started decades ago. Face of Winter promises to deliver all that WME ski flicks have become known for: jaw-dropping scenery, adrenaline-pumping ski action, and above all, an intimate look at the people and places that make skiing so rad. In the following pages, this year’s WME athletes and crew pay tribute to Warren, the original face of winter, and the entertainment legacy he Cinematographer Jeff Wright films Marcus Caston leaves behind. Since Warren would be the first to admit that he may have (left) and Johan Jonsson during the Engelberg, borrowed one (or many) of his famous, quirky one-liners, we thought it only Switzerland segment of Face of Winter. right to borrow Warren’s words in turn. After all, imitation is the sincerest PHOTO CREDIT PHOTO CREDIT ENANDER PHOTO OSKAR form of flattery. SKI MAGAZINE / 90 / NOVEMBER 2018 SKI MAGAZINE / 91 / NOVEMBER 2018 THE SHOW MUST GO ON IN THIS YEAR’S FILM... Mike Wiegele no longer appears in front of the WME camera but plays gracious host to the film crew and athletes while they shoot with Wiegele guides like Bob Sayer, featured in this year’s film. JONNY MOSELEY at Lake Louise, then made trips into the For the past decade, Jonny Moseley has one-piece ski suit while throwing a bunch of Cosacks and Iron-Cross mountains to explore. The mountains were been the voice of WME’s annual ski movies. Cosacks. And it was just generally pretty embarrassing, if I remember 2 big, and all the valleys had creeks but no He’s a bonafide veteran, having appeared correctly. No, I’m kidding, it was a lot of fun and I loved it. I still love ROTATIONS IN HIS bridges. A backcountry trip could take both in and behind the scenes of WME films skiing bumps. Especially since I don’t have to ski an icy rut-line at 7 SIGNATURE TRICK ages. A big trip could turn into a week-long since 1998. He remembers his debut in a.m. and do two gnarly airs. It’s made bump skiing much more enjoy- “THE DINNER ROLL” journey. It would take one day to hike into WME’s Freeriders, ripping moguls in a white able. Of course, I miss the competition aspect of it. But as far as just the valley, and at least one day to climb onesie, vividly. the pleasure of skiing bumps, I love it. You know, I think in some ways up the mountain. Then you ski a day or two I’m a better bump-skier finesse-wise now. I’m lucky, I think I was born 22 AGE WHEN HE WON when you’re up there. But then you had to “Always try everything at least twice.” —WM to ski moguls, my body was just set to do it. I still have a bunch more GOLD AT THE NAGANO walk out again. I loved the mountains, and Trying to replace Warren as a narrator is ridic- bumps left in me. OLYMPICS there’s no question that I loved skiing, so ulous. I realized that from day one. It’s like ap- I was easily motivated. But the trip back ples and oranges, there’s just no way I could down through the valley took a while. One ever come close to doing what he did. This is time I was up on top of the mountain in the the 10th WME film I’ve narrated, and I’ve been Cariboos on a beautiful day after a strenu- very fortunate that the audience has been ous trip up. I was looking around up there willing to grow with me from my rookie sea- and dreaming away. And I thought, ‘Gee, son to now. One of the things I loved about wouldn’t it be nice if a helicopter flew you Warren, and it’s hard to fake, is that Warren in.’ I had taken a short flight in the Cariboos really lived the segments he narrated. He previously with my friend Hans Gmoser, went out there and shot most things himself, and on that trip, I realized: that’s the best so when he talked about them, it was very way to ski in these mountains, with a genuine. He was just telling a story about helicopter. what he did in the mountains. That genuine connection with skiing—that’s the spirit that “You can’t get hurt skiing unless you was so strong with Warren, and that’s what I fall.” —WM try to convey. I feel that’s the best I can do to I first met Warren in 1963, I believe, when I keep the Warren Miller spirit alive. was working at Sugar Bowl in California. He came up wanting to get some skiing shots. “Bumps on the mountain are like heartbeats; It was my first year at the ski school, so you only have so many in your knees, and everyone said, ‘Here, take this guy. He’s a when they are gone, they are gone.” —WM good skier.’ And of course, I was very excited My first opportunity to ski for WME came MIKE WIEGELE to be asked, it was an honor to ski for War- in 1998. It was a mogul skiing segment, of ren. At the time, Warren was the filmmaker. course, in Breckenridge, Colo. We were Like Warren, Mike Wiegele was a pioneer of the ski industry, being There were others, like Dick Barrymore, but doing some rapid fire mogul skiing with 48 one of the first to explore heli-assisted backcountry skiing in B.C. Warren was the person you wanted to ski basically the World Cup team back then. I and founding Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing. The Wiegele op has for. When I first skied for him, the other skiers remember the shoot because I wore a white YEARS MWHS HAS BEEN IN OPERATION been featured in countless WME films over the years, and Mike told me I would fall. I thought, no way, I’m himself also skied for Warren’s camera back in the day. one of the best skiers here. Sure enough, I crashed on the first run. I was often told I IN THIS YEAR’S FILM... “It’s been a long, hard road, and some of the roads weren’t paved.” had more guts than brains. But when you Moseley not only narrates but makes a 21 —WM survive a crash, and you realize you’re fine, cameo appearance in Northern Iceland AGE WHEN HE I actually came to Canada to explore the mountains for the potential you just continue. And I didn’t crash in front EMIGRATED FROM to shred with Amie Engerbretson and AUSTRIA TO CANADA of developing some kind of backcountry ski area. I ran a ski school of Warren again Anna Segal. While there, the crew ex- plored Iceland by air with Arctic Heli and CHAD CHOMLACK CHAD WITHERILL COLIN soaked up some of the local culture. A look at WME WARREN DISCOVERS SKIING THE FIRST CAMERA SKI BUMMING IN ALTA “The films were silent, so I put in OPENING SEASON AT SQUAW throughout the Twelve-year-old Warren discovers After being discharged from the Navy, Warren discovers pow skiing in Alta Warren gets an instructor job at the THE years, from humble skiing on a Scout trip to Big Pines. Warren buys his first camera, a Bell on a ski trip with friend Ward Baker. a few ironic comments that came ski school headed by Émile Allais. HISTORY beginnings to Afterwards, he takes a paperboy job & Howell 8mm for $77. “I had no idea The two show their surfing movie to He begins filming Allais and other 1946 1946 1949 meteoric rise. 1936 to save up to buy his own skis. where the camera would take me.” an audience at the Alta Lodge. from my weird view of life.” instructors on their free runs. PHOTO CREDIT PHOTO CREDIT PHOTO SKI MAGAZINE / 92 / NOVEMBER 2018 SKI MAGAZINE / 93 / NOVEMBER 2018 THE SHOW MUST GO ON IN THIS YEAR’S FILM... McMillan joined Forrest Jillson and the WME crew in Denali National Park to ex- WARREN MILLER TOUR plore the pristine beauty of the AK back- country, the luxurious Tordrillo Mountain “One of the biggest things Warren gave the ski and snowboarding communities is the film Lodge, and remote Ruth Glacier. tour—a chance for our tribe to come together and celebrate sliding on snow.” —Rob Kingwill TOUR INFO: VISIT WARRENMILLER.COM FOR UPDATED TIMES AND VENUES. limits and summit one of the highest peaks in the world. So to go there and ski tour is just NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA so special. There’s no trace of people. It’s just 10/12 – 11/20 11/6 – 12/8 mother nature, huge peaks, and raw beauty. Oregon, Washington Greater Bay Area, Greater L.A. Area, There’s a true sense of wild. Santa Barbara, and in between… UTAH “When it comes to skiing, there’s a difference 10/17 – 10/27 NORTHEAST between what you think it’s going to be like, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Park City, Orem 11/1 – 12/7 what it’s really like, and what you tell your New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, friends it was like.” —WM MIDWEST Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, When you’re in a place like Denali, you can 10/25 – 11/1 New Hampshire, Vermont look at photos, but you never know what Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, peak or snow conditions are going to be like.