Motion picture captures big winter air
Sitting on a snow-covered tree before a backdrop of frosty British Columbia landscape, decorated free skier Andy Mahre offers his reflections on life.
“The Key to life is to live each day like there’s no tomorrow,” Mahre said in the movie trailer for Warren Miller’s film “Like There’s No Tomorrow.” “If you’re sitting on the couch, you’re obviously not riding powder, so maybe you should get off the couch and ride some powder.”
According to a press release from Warren Miller Entertainment, the 62nd installment serves as an annual reminder that winter is on the horizon. Just as the snow has started to fall in Logan, the film will make its local debut with two showings Nov. 17 and 18 at the Kent Concert Hall.
Miller’s career as a director is a storied one. He has gone from an action and sports lover to a world leader in the ski film industry.
While he is no longer actively involved in the movie making process — and hasn’t been since 2004 — the stamp he left on the industry and his company is still evident in every film it releases. In 1950, Warren Miller released his first film “Deep and Light,” and soon he was touring the country showing his movies.
“The idea of an annual ski film just got bigger and bigger over the years,” Gary Nate, a 30-year Warren Miller cameraman, said. “Now it’s just a tradition, almost.”
Nate said the secret to Warren Miller success is the diversity of the films.
“They put a like bit of each discipline like snowboarding or ski racing or freestyle into the film,” Nate said, “but not so much that they bore anybody. Everybody walks out saying ‘That was a great movie.'”
According to the WME press release, the 2011 film should be anyone’s first stop on their way to the mountain.
“The pressure is off,” the press release stated. “No one is watching. It’s just you, your boards and the mountain. The weather has broken and the snow is untracked. The only sound is that of your breath, crystallizing in the winter air.”
This year’s film features athletes like snowboarder Seth Wescott, who was the 2010 Winter Olympics snowboardcross gold medalist. The film is narrated by Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley.
According to the WME press release, film is shot on location on five different continents on some are the “world’s most inspiring landscapes”.
While the films started out only featuring skiers, viewers can now watch snowboarder bomb down the slopes of some of the world’s largest peaks.
“Like There’s No Tomorrow” takes viewers to the slopes of faraway places, but Utah viewers might recognize some of the locations from their own backyard. Nate said Miller has always had a soft spot for the snow in the Beehive state, which is evident in his movies.
“Everywhere I go to film they ask me ‘Is this as good as your Utah powder?'” Nate said. “The answer’s always ‘No.'”
This year’s film features Utah locals taking on the best snow the Wasatch Front has to offer.
“When it is snowing in the city, you know that it is dumping in the mountains — puking,” Salt Lake City local Caroline Gleich said in the movie.
The Utah section of the movie lets audiences follow native Utahns as they chase Brant Moles, former big-mountain skiing world champion, down the highest peaks in the state.
“One of the best sequences in the movie is the one actually here in Utah,” Nate said. “It’s really cool.”
Whether a hardcore snow sports enthusiasts or just someone looking for a glimpse of the mountains on the other side of the world, “Like There’s No Tomorrow” has something for everyone.
Utah State students can catch the film on campus for $18. The ticket includes a free lift ticket to the Canyons and Wolf Mountain ski resorts among other benefits.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu