Warren Miller ski movie to make global rounds
It's never happened before, not in the previous 56 years that Warren Miller has been on the road showing his latest ski productions, but this year Utah, i.e. skiing in Utah, is a sponsor of the 400-plus screenings held across the country of his latest ski movie — "Off the Grid."
The preview showing of the movie will be in Park City tonight. The premiere showing will be at Abravanel Hall Friday. Subsequent showings will be Saturday in Ogden and Nov. 9 and 10 in Logan.
It will be, said Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, albeit only a premovie promotion and skiing segments cut into the movie, a huge step forward in promoting Utah's Greatest Snow on Earth, which the movie prominently shows.
"We came into the game late in the season," recalled Rafferty. "It turned out we had to shoot our ski segments in March and April. Only in Utah. Other resorts are starting to close, but we got some of the most incredible powder skiing shots imaginable. They were great, as those who attend the movie will see. Like I said, only in Utah."
Involvement in the Miller production was made possible through the increased travel/tourism budget pushed and approved by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and overseen by Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism.
The sponsorship was made possible, said von der Esch, because of "an increase in our advertising budget due to the generous support of the Utah Legislature, (which) has allowed us to partner with Warren Miller for the first time."
"The benefits of this to the Utah ski industry and the economy of the state go far beyond the movie itself," said Rafferty. "Aside from the 400-plus showings around the country, the movie is picked up and shown in countries around the world. It's shown over and over in restaurants and bars, DVDs are made of this movie, and it will be shown years down the road on cable and satellite stations.
"A year ago, it seemed it would be impossible for us to reach this level, but we're here, and people all over the world will learn more about Utah skiing."
Miller's cameras are taken to ski areas all over the world, from the most remote and obscure, such as Kashmir, India and Kicking Horse, Canada, to resorts in Colorado and Utah.
The movie will feature some of Utah's most talented skiers, among them Jeremy Nobis, Jamey Parks, Jamie Pierre, Julien Carr and Jenn Berg.
You can be the first to comment on this story.