RIP Warren Miller

[Mason Griffin]

I was sad to hear of the passing of Warren Miller earlier this week. I grew up skiing in Steamboat, and it never seemed like a trip was complete until we had seen the (probably not) latest Warren Miller movie on some random cable access channel up there. He really captured the joy and pain of skiing in a way that will never be matched. I was as entertained by his footage of people getting off of lifts as I was by the incredible places he took you as he filmed skiers all over the world. That along with the grandfatherly narration made his films completely unique and immediately identifiable. I'm certain he inspired countless skiers to push their limits, and I know the modern ski industry wouldn't be what it is without his influence. I never met the man, so I was surprised how sad I was to hear that he died. I always thought of him as perpetually about 53 years old (something about the voice), and I couldn't imagine a world without him. Feel free to share your WM memories.

[pmeadco]

Yup, seeing the latest Warren Miller movie was a pre-req for the coming ski season when I was a kid. Back in those days he always did live narration, which was kind of unique. He sat on stage, off to the side, and worked his way thru his notes while watching for cues on the screen. That made it a more unique experience. Yeah, his jokes were often corny, but he knew it, you knew it, and everybody laughed along. He always tried to make it a ski world tour, kind of like Endless Summer, which gave you a chance to see what skiing was like (for ski stars, at least) in other parts of the world.

Back then, nobody did it better, so his movie was always the one to watch. These days there are tons of companies producing sports movies, but I have to believe that most all of them use Warren Miller for inspiration.

[Wish I lived in CO]

I was a bit young for that time and didn't grow up skiing until later so was not familiar with Warren Miller. Was curious by your post and looked him up. The hour or so of random youtube clips I watched were great! Also loved his style as a narrator, including the dry humor

A telling quote from Wikipedia from before his beginning of his film career that I thought was telling of his overall love of skiing:

He [Warren Miller] and a friend, Ward Baker, moved to Sun Valley, Idaho where they camped in the parking lot of the Sun Valley ski resort, lived in a teardrop trailer and earned money as ski instructors. In their free time, they filmed each other skiing to critique and improve their ski techniques.

Thanks for sharing.

[SchralpTheGnar]

I always loved the quote “do it this year, or you’ll just be one year older when you do”. We used to go see the show every year at the paramount from 98-06 or so. His movies were always my favorite because he never took himself too seriously.

RIP in the heavens with eternal pillows on a bluebird day

[Cruiser]

My favorite quote of his, "If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving."

RIP

[pmeadco]

As you would expect a number of video tributes have been posted commemorating Warren's life. Here is one from his former company.

[douglas]

I have fond memories as a kid of watching him narrate his movies at Grady Gammage auditorium at Arizona State. He will be missed.