Kaylin Richardson, Norway Photo Credit: Jay Dash
At the age of 39, I’d never actually been to a Warren Miller movie premier. Hard to believe given my love of skiing and of this iconic character and his movies. I remember watching them all the time when I was growing up. Every time I went skiing there always seemed to be Warren Miller movie on the tv and watching them provided the stoke needed to rip that day. There is just something about watching the sick ski scenes coupled with listening to the mesmerizingly witty narrative while prepping for the mountain. It really captivates you. Still does, even to this day, so much so that my daughters and I watch old Warren Miller films regularly each Saturday in the fall getting us primed for another fun season of skiing.
Warren Miller Films Still Captivating After All These Years
Now in its 68th year, and being the fan that I am, I finally decided that it was time to actually go to the theater and take in the official kickoff to winter live. Took me long enough, but good things come to those who wait. I quickly realized a few things.
- The positive vibes of the film are multiplied when shared in a theater with hundreds of other like-minded people. Sounds a bit like being with my crew at après ski, if you ask me.
- Probably more important to the theme of Line of Descent, many of the skiers in the film that I grew up watching are getting older.
- Despite father time’s efforts this legendary 68 year old enterprise and the older skiers and riders in it show no signs of aging. They can still hang with the youngins while sharing their excitement for skiing and riding as much all of those people who were there to catch the premier.
- This is skiing and riding at its best, an eternal fountain of youth passed down from generation to generation that ultimately brings everyone in the sport together.
Rob Kingwill, Jackson Hole Photo Credit: Chirs Figenstau
Line of Descent is More Than Just Shredding Big Lines
Warren Miller’s Line of Descent is about more than just the epic lines you take while charging down the mountain but, rather, a celebration of the connected lineage our sport’s icons (and really all of us) share with each other. The multi-generational approach that Line of Descent’s producers take by pairing wily veterans such as Michael “Bird” Shaffer, Tommy Moe, Johnny Mosely and more with rising stars like Kalen Thorien, Amie Engerbretson and Marcus Caston shows that mountain riding at its core is about family and friends no matter what the age. Just like I am sharing my love of skiing with my girls by watching those aforementioned movies and taking regular ski trips with them, so to are these storied veterans with the young guns of this year's Warren Miller film.
“This season, we explore how skiers are shaped by picking up a pair of skis for the first time,” notes producer Josh Haskins. “More often than not, it’s family who introduces us to the sport or steers us on the path towards an ongoing passion—be it a ski bum lifestyle, a professional career or simply the desire to pass on the same feeling to the next generation. There is a kinship unlike any other in the ski community, and Warren Miller is the elder, bringing generations of skiers and riders together for 68 years, and this year is no different.”
Taking Viewers on a Ageless Journey Around The World
For now though, this is only a theoretical passing of the torch as all of these amazing athletes continue to share the snow riding love together in a variety of ways that go beyond the basic standards of skiing and snowboarding. Through the likes of pow surfing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, speed riding and more Line of Descent ventures on a journey to many of the world’s most aesthetically pleasing mountain ranges. North American resorts such as Jackson Hole, Montana, Silverton, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, and Steamboat are coupled with some of the world’s best like Beartooth Pass, the French Alps, New Zealand, British Columbia, and Norway producing an unrivaled look at how there is just no aging with it comes to skiing and riding.
Since 1949, ski families have cheered the official kickoff of winter with the ski film company that started it all. As the family grows, the traditions grow richer. Volkswagen Presents Warren Miller’s Line of Descent will premiere worldwide in three locations on October 13, 2017: Salt Lake City, UT, Portland, OR and Bozeman, MT. Screenings will then sweep across the U.S. from October to January.
Tickets go on sale September 12, 2017; local show dates and times can be found on warrenmiller.com.
