‘Face of Winter’ Pays Homage to One of Skiing’s Greatest Legends

While the man might be gone, Warren Miller’s legacy will live forever

If you pull any skier off the mountain and ask them what the first ski movie they ever saw was, odds are good that one man’s name will be the first words out of their mouth–Warren Miller. The founding father of the modern ski movie, the late Warren Miller spent over six decades of his long 93 years dedicated to telling the story of the skier. The newest film from Warren Miller Entertainment, the company Miller founded back in 1949, takes that dedication and crafts it into a beautiful homage to the man who pioneered the genre of the ski movie.

Ripe with throwback footage from every decade of Miller’s work dating as far back as the ’50s, Face of Winter’s focus isn’t on pro skiers cramming as much crazy footage into their segment as possible, but rather examining what it is about skiing that brings us all together every winter, year after year.

Exploring distant places from Alaska to Iceland to Switzerland, and everywhere with a skiable mountain in between, Face of Winter follows professional and amateur skiers alike in telling their stories on skis. Hitting Warren Miller classics like Mike Wiegele’s Heli Skiing in British Columbia and the steep couloirs of Chamonix, France, both throwback and current footage seamlessly tell the stories of some of skiing’s most famous locales. And while the clothing, skis, and style might be a little different today from when Miller first started making movies so many decades ago, Face of Winter shows that the abundance of passion skiers have for their sport hasn’t changed a bit.

While Warren Miller may be gone, the countless interviews throughout Face of Winter prove that his impact, both through his personal interactions and his films, is far from over. For as long as people continue to ski, there will be people to film it, and with each and every press of the record button, Miller’s legacy endures. While it’s said plenty of times throughout the film, it’s worth saying again: Thanks, Warren.

Posted from Powder Magazine