When you watch the new Warren Miller Entertainment film, Line of Descent, presented by Volkswagen, you’ll notice a new character by the name of Ty Peterson slashing dream-like pow turns across the famed terrain of Silverton, Colorado. Perhaps you’ve heard of him before; the Utah native has appeared on the cover of Powder Magazine and throughout the pages of many other esteemed publications like FREESKIER Magazine, SKI Magazine, Outside Magazine, and Mountain Magazine. 

For the most part, Peterson has focused his career on photos and, clearly, that’s worked out well for him. But, filming with the Warren Miller crew for the first time brought a welcomed change of pace: a totally new experience that he’s still looking back at in total awe. 

Utah local Ty Peterson smiles while standing in the little of town of Silverton, Colorado in Winter 2017.

“It’s such a check-off-the-bucket-list type of thing,” he explains. “I pretty much just work with still photographers around Salt Lake City nowadays and it’s a great gig. Go out, ski powder, get some photos published, and keep the train going. I’m happy with that, but to get the call from the Warren Miller team was just the icing on the cake.”

Alongside George Rodney, a damn good skier in his own right (he won the Freeride World Tour overall title in 2015, among other accomplishments), Peterson traveled to Silverton last winter to for 10 days of top-notch shredding. Adjusting to the Warren Miller camera crew’s high standards was challenging at times but, in the end, the shoot went incredibly smooth.

“When you’re out there and these guys have these big-ass cameras, it takes them like 20 minutes to set up each shot,” he says. “You’ve got to stay warm and stay ready, but on top of that, you’ve got to hit the spot. When they say turn left, you turn left [laughs]. It sounds basic but it’s not sometimes. When they’re on the other side of the mountain trying to talk you into something that looks totally different from your perspective, communication is key.”

"The first ski movie I ever saw was definitely a Warren Miller movie and, of course, being a young skier, you're just like, 'I wanna' do that! That's sick!'" 

 The result of all this on-snow teamwork is one very mesmerizing and action-packed segment in which Peterson and Rodney absolutely slay Silverton’s world-famous, expert terrain. The segment also shines light on the unique atmosphere of Silverton in a grander sense; the mining town turned ski town has a rough and tough feel to it that’s like nothing else on Earth. For Peterson, going on this trip and being involved in a Warren Miller film for the first time was a total honor that he’s dreamt of since he was a little kid.

“Everyone grew up with Warren Miller movies,” he explains. “The first ski movie I ever saw was definitely a Warren Miller movie and, of course, being a young skier, you’re just like, ‘I wanna’ do that! That’s sick!’”

Ty Peterson carves a steep line at Silverton Mountain. 

Peterson may be new to the Warren Miller squad but when you take a look at his career and understand his deep appreciation for skiing, you realize the “rookie” label is far from accurate. In other words, when all the little kids out there watch him ski in Line of Descent, they’ll be saying, “I wanna’ do that! That’s Sick!” too.