Warren Miller films have been around so long (now in its 66th version) that they serve as a historical timeline for skiing and snowboarding styles and skills, snow-related humor, filmmaking technology and how female skiers are portrayed by filmmakers.
Each generation redefines the extremes in the backcountry as well as the skills needed for world-class competitions. Each generation pushes the boundaries of techniques and equipment as well as courage. Each generation fine-tunes the art of the possible — whether it’s freestyle skiing or challenging the vertical.
Amie Engerbretson, while standing at the top of an Alaskan mountain, concedes that extreme skiing “can be a mixed bag of emotions.” Then she, as others before her, turns doubts into action.
“Chasing Shadows” has an unusual opening that leads to speed riding in Chamonix, France, where a lesson is learned: It’s not OK to have an equipment malfunction when combining paragliding and skiing close to cliffs.
The film shows at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Everett.
“Chasing” spreads the eye candy around the world. The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team delivers speed, agility and acrobatics. Single-plank diehards bring monoski talents to Monopalooza. A few skiers combine skiing in Alaska (including flying over crevasses) with fly-fishing.
A Utah snowrider combines his passion for skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding to create a hybrid sport known as powsurfing (aka powder surfing) using a modified board sans bindings. The background music fits particularly well in this segment, with Ladada’s “Oh the Weather,” Foo Fighters’ “Outside” and Sisyphus’ “Calm it Down.”
An intriguing section was “Postcards,” skiing in Switzerland, Italy and Japan with three athletes who speak the common language of skiing. A voiceover with on-screen English translation and music by Chrome Sparks (“Goddess”) and Jamie XX (Gosh”) create an original mood significantly different than any other section.
Warren Miller films offer us stories as well as film of extreme skiing.
In Nepal, after four flights, 72 hours and three continents, our travelers find themselves without their luggage. They could wear the clothes on their backs for days but can’t film without their snowboards. Apparently there are no snowboard shops in Kathmandu.
While waiting to ski at 17,000 feet, they fill their time by riding elephants, visiting the Monkey Temple (praying for their boards) and mixing with the locals.
One of Miller’s oft-repeated lines is “It’s always winter somewhere.”
In “Chasing Shadows,” it’s August in the Andes in Chile, right after a seven-day winter storm that dropped 100-plus inches of snow in the Portillo area. While road closures blocked out other skiers, our intrepid threesome and their crew had the slopes to themselves.
The funniest part of the film is the Cowboy Downhill in Colorado. Chris Anthony transforms himself into a cowboy, including boots and hats. That’s an easier transition than the rodeo stars have, risking limbs during the cowboys-on-skis mayhem.
But I wish that the filmmakers had taken digital scissors to the roadside humor at the end of the film, a shtick that took away from the visual and emotional feel that had been built up.
This year’s music was a good fit (not always the case), with styles from Steve Miller, Fleetwood Mac and Bob Seger to We Were Promised Jet Packs, Kithkin, Ghostpoet, Simian Mobile Disco and Sarah Jaffe.
Near the end of the film, a snowboard montage combined legends of a certain age and the next generation of talent. It’s the fastest-paced segment in the film and deserved the “that was insane” comment.
Life is a series of transitions, one job to another, one goal to another, one generation of music and snowriders to another.
No matter the changes, one thing has stayed the same in Warren Miller’s films, his comment “Winter starts now.”
Extreme skier and narrator Jonny Moseley now has the honor for the foreseeable future. Or until the next generation.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-93964 or www.songandword.com.
“Chasing Shadows”
What: Warren Miller’s 66th winter ski and snowboard film
When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19
Where: Historic Everett Theatre (360-258-6766).
Tickets: $20
Freebies: Lift ticket to Stevens Pass, Mission Ridge and Mount Bachelor; 2-for-1 ticket to Big White and Sun Peaks; ski and ride for free at Steamboat. For details, go to warrenmiller.com.
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