Warren Miller’s Dynasty Segment Notes

Media Note:  Direct narration from the script always appears in italics and quotes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·        Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

Athletes:               Daron Rahlves, Jonny Moseley, Errol Kerr, Jamie Burge, JT Holmes                  

Equipment:            Skis

The in-your-face powder shots, massive cliffs and unmatched views showcased here are simply breathtaking. Here, a truly exceptional scene is created by the collision of water and earth, as vertical steeps rise out of the deep blue Lake Tahoe. No one can question why some of our country’s finest winter sports competitors come out of the Lake Tahoe region. The exact turns and massive launches executed by this Lake Tahoe bunch speak for themselves. Esteemed World Cup athlete Daron Rahlves shreds the Tahoe backcountry with confidence, precision and implausible speed; Gold Medal Olympian Jonny Moseley nails a back flip with the lake’s glistening waters providing his backdrop; and JT Holmes elevates Lake Tahoe skiing to a whole new level. Jamie Burge puts it simply, “If you are brave enough, you can pretty much do everything here.”

·        Blue River, British Columbia 

Athletes:               Mike Wiegele, Chris Benchetler, Cody Barnhill

Equipment:            Helicopter, Skis

Back in the 1970s Mike Wiegele had an avant-garde vision of what Canada’s Blue River had to offer. When he asked a local old-timer what he thought of his idea to open a Blue River backcountry skiing outlet, the wise man said simply, “The snowflakes fall down big and straight.” This statement inspired Mike to found Mike Wiegele’s Helicopter Skiing.  Since then, Mike has been on top of the world, as the panoramic views of the Monashee and Cariboo Mountains circle endlessly around him. Join new-schoolers Cody Barnhill and Chris Benchetler as they dive into Mike’s snow-covered playground. This is big-mountain skiing at its finest, as sweeping turns, breathtaking natural features and tailing powder trails explode off the screen. Chris explains the childlike feeling of excitement that takes over as he steps into Wiegele’s bird, knowing that a 2000-vertical-foot line of fresh powder is waiting, and that he’ll have this sea of expansive white bliss all to himself.  Cody adds, “Here anything and everything that you can see is all fair game.”

·        Snow White

Athlete:                 Alexis Roland

Equipment:            Snowboard

“I do not like people referring to me as little. And I am cute, but I am a serious little girl,” shares 10-year-old Alexis Roland in this action-filled profile piece. Alexis might be shorter than your average shredder, but this young gal can out-ride most grown men. She is seemingly fearless, and this montage of high-action footage proves that she can slide, grab and spin with the pros. “The powder is fun. If you crash, nothing can really happen,” explains Alexis as she launches off of a massive hit into a pile of fresh. At 10 years old, Alexis is sponsored by major brands; she rides on a custom board; she has appeared in a number of snowboard films; and she is a fierce presence on the competition circuit. Warren Miller Entertainment has officially tagged this next generation athlete as one to watch. It won’t be long before we see her in the big leagues.    

·        Crystal Mountain, Washington      

Athletes:               Bryce Phillips, Ingrid Backstrom, Tyler Ceccanti, Arne Backstrom      

Equipment:            Skis

Watch here as the lines are blurred between the yesterday and today…because Crystal Mountain’s terrain truly hasn’t changed that much over the years. Intense storms followed by clear blue skies – and major cliff jumps followed by perfect turns – have fit into this mountain’s narrative throughout time. Join Washington athletes Bryce Phillips, Ingrid Backstrom, Arne Backstrom and Tyler Ceccanti as they explain to this generation what it means to be a true Crystal Mountain native, which sometimes even involved sleeping in the mountain’s parking lot as kids. The steeps are outrageous and the jumping is immense, making the reality of this mountain’s challenges undeniable. “It is just great to see all of the familiar faces of people that are still here ripping it up…and lots of new ones as well,” shares Ingrid Backstrom.

·        Colorado   

Athletes:               Max Mancini, Matt Luczkow

Equipment:            Helicopter, Alpine Skis, Telemark Skis

Colorado natives Max Mancini and Matt Luczkow hit the road on an ambitious storm-chasing trip across Colorado’s Rocky Mountain region. Max and Matt grew up with the peaks of the Rockies in their backyards, but this journey reveals new challenges, exposes new terrain and teaches new lessons about what Colorado’s natural landscape has to offer. From getting lost in the Southern Colorado desert to buying backcountry snowmobiles on the good faith credit of the Warren Miller name, from getting freestyle skiing and girlfriend guidance from Colorado skiing icon Klaus Obermeyer to kayaking down the Colorado River’s most audacious rapids, these determined athletes cover the entirety of Colorado’s most impressive settings. This is a whirlwind showcase of Colorado’s deepest stashes, most thrilling terrain parks and infamous spring skiing stunts, all set against a backdrop of irresistible bluebird skies. 

·        Backcountry Dynastic Ski

Athletes:               Anthony Boronowski, Brandon Kelly, Charlie Ager, Dane Tudor, Mike Henituk, Riley Lebow, Tim Durtschi            

Equipment:            Skis

A fresh take backcountry skiing is represented here by a circus of colossal cliff drops and massive kickers.  Blower powder, blue skies and insane air are packed into this elaborate collage of new-school skiing’s finest moments.  Some of the sport’s hottest athletes are showcased here, sharing the secrets of the new-school backcountry lifestyle and proving that out-of-bounds does not mean off limits.  

·        Norway 

Athletes:               Chris Davenport, Graham Austick, Lorraine Huber, Karine Falck-Pederson

Equipment:            Skis, Boat

Join athletes Chris Davenport, Graham Austick, Lorraine Huber and Karine Falck-Pederson as they take on the humbling landscape of the Lyngen Alps in northern Norway. Graham and Karine are from Europe, but they’ve never been exposed to the dramatic terrain showcased here. Chris has conquered many of the world’s highest skiable peaks, but he has never seen geographic contrast like this. Here, above the Arctic Circle and ski touring by boat, these four skiers couldn’t be farther from home. Massive peaks burst out of desolate, snow-covered beaches, and the icy waters of the Arctic act as a target for these bold skiers as they rip down from the summit of Norway’s most impressive mountains. Summit to Sea is the concept, and Karine describes the experience as brilliant and “nurturing to the soul.” Lorraine adds, “It makes you realize how amazing our earth is, and there should be more moments like that in our lives.”

·        Mono Skier X

Athletes:            Tyler Walker, Kevin Bramble, Scott Meyer, Kees-Jan Van Der Klooster, Sam Ferguson, Felix Snow, Andy Campbell, Erick Corbett, Heath Calhoun           

Equipment:            Mono Skis 

Skier-Cross, SuperPipe, SnoCross and Slopestyle….These familiar Winter X favorites are trumped by this year’s pioneering footage of Mono Skier X. Three years ago, Mono Skier X came on the scene as the first competitive event for disabled athletes featured at the Winter X Games. Since then, mono skiers have pushed the sport to new extremes, taking on expert terrain while strapped into molded bucket seats that are perfectly balanced on single skis. Courageous adaptive competitors are featured here taking on racecourses carved for able-bodied athletes – at full speed and without fear. With massive jumps and cutthroat turns at every angle, this incredible athletic display pushes the limits of adaptive skiing, making this event one of the most daunting action sports competitions out there. This piece is a true inspiration to athletes everywhere, showing us all that, “if there’s nothing you can do about it…you either get busy living, or you get busy dying.”   

·        Points North Heli Adventures: Cordova, Alaska

Athletes:               Kevin Quinn, Jessica Quinn, Kip Garre, Jason Mack, Allen Riley                         

Equipment:            Helicopter, Skis, Snowboards

Warren Miller has taken you to Alaska’s Chugach range before but, this year, see it from the heli guides’ perspective with the crew from Points North Heli Adventures. The Chugach range is “Disneyland on steroids,” and the Points North guides are a unique breed. This group from Northern California has Alaska in their blood, and when they’re thrown into its dwarfing terrain, they become a true band of bothers. Jessica explains, “[There aren’t] better people to learn the tricks of the trade by…I feel really protected and lucky to be with such a tight-knit group of people out there when we are guiding because…it is a family and we’re all watching each other’s backs.” The usual suspects are Kevin and Jessica Quinn, the owners and operators of Points North, but all of the guides in this operation have contributed equally to this couple’s success and safety in the field over the past 11 years. It is 15 men and Jessica, and she blends in perfectly when thrown onto Alaska’s steep faces, powder-lined chutes and endless lines. Jessica puts it best when she adds, “There is a reason it’s called the Super Bowl of skiing. I was addicted to Alaska and the feeling it made me have right from the beginning. It is just so massive and huge and the mountains jet out all around you with lines dancing in front of your face…It is truly a magical place that leaves an imprint on your heart. Once you get hooked, you’re hooked for life.”  

·        Timber Ridge Ski Area, Michigan  

Athletes:               Lucas Schrab, Adam Schrab            

Equipment:            Skis, Snowcat, School Bus, Motorbike, Towrope, Ski Jump Computer Program

What do a school bus, a stationary motorbike, a towrope, a corn field, a computer program and a pair of skis have in common? Brothers Luke and Adam Schrab, the pride of the Midwestern ski community. This duo has been surprising Warren Miller audiences since their cinematic debut in Warren Miller’s Fifty. This year, reunite with these Midwest diehards as they revisit their grandparents’ Wisconsin farm, the place where their homemade ski jump days began. Climb aboard a Wisconsin-weathered school bus as Adam delivers a trailer full of wooden ramps to the Timber Ridge Ski Area in Michigan. Here, the brothers’ latest manmade terrain feature takes form in record time, and a team of young Schrab followers hits the home-grown masterpiece at full speed. The Schrab brothers are determined to catch big mountain air – despite the vertical challenges facing Midwestern terrain – and they always succeed. Committed snowriders must always find innovative ways to challenge themselves, and the Schrab brothers are a grand example of why the sky is truly the limit. 

·        Dynastic Ride

Athletes:          Torstein Horgmo, Eric Jackson, Jason Dubois, Andrew Geeves, Chas Guldenmond, Lonnie Kauk, Mark Landvik, Andreas Wiig, Seb Toots  

Equipment:      Snowboards 

This medley of big-air cliff drops and rag-doll wrecks is set against bluebird skis and glistening powder. Snowboarders take on steep chutes and wide-open powder fields, surging through untouched blankets of snow.  If insane drops and bottomless fresh get your heart pumping, this stylish mix of soaring spins and flawless turns is for you.

·        Sun Valley, Idaho

Athletes:               Rodger Crist, Reggie Crist, Zach Crist        

Equipment:            Skis, Helicopter                 

Back in 1979, the Crist family unanimously decided to move away from their conventional, urban life in San Francisco and head to the mountains. Zach and Reggie Crist were just young boys at that time, but the whole family shared a dream of living a mountain life, and they haven’t turned back. Since then, Zach and Reggie have spent their lives chasing their father, Rodger, down the slopes of Sun Valley’s highest peaks. This family lives and skis together as a forever bonded team, relying on each other for support, challenge and inspiration on and off the slopes. It is a bond that the next generation of Crist skiers is already learning, lessons of a shared outdoor experience on Sun Valley’s slopes. The lines ripped in this footage are striking, and it is clear that only an Idaho authority like the Crist family patriarch could pull off such a show. Zach explains, “It is really more about the quality of your lifestyle rather than the kind of job you have or the money you’re making.  It’s really about the memories that you share with good people and good places. That’s what living in a ski town is all about.”

·        60 Years of Comedy    

Athletes:               Various

Equipment:            Skis      

This historic montage highlights the greatest Warren Miller Entertainment comedy moments of all time, including several classic slapstick clips from WME’s vault of vintage footage. 

·        Dynastic Ski

Athletes:          Tanner Hall, Andreas Hatveit, Dane Tudor, Tim Durschi, Matt Walker, Mike Henituck, TJ Schiller, Charles Gagnier, John Spriggs      

Equipment:       Skis

This mosaic of new-school footage is one of the undoubted highlights of this year’s film. The next generation of progressive freestyle skiing is showcased in this montage of astonishing big-mountain jumps and insane park jibs. Striking drops, dizzying spins and seamless rail slides are pieced cleverly together in this collection of last season’s greatest hits, and the outcome raises the bar for an entire generation of daring young skiers. This electrifying collection of high-energy, adrenalin-pumping footage is sure to drive diehard big-mountain riders into the park for their first drop. 

·        China                  

Athletes:               Chris Anthony, Austin Ross              

Equipment:            Horses, Sleds, Skis

The old and the new schools of Western skiing aren’t discernable when they’re compared to the 3,000-year-old skiing culture inhabiting the wilds of Northwestern China. Join legendary Warren Miller athlete Chris Anthony and new-schooler Austin Ross as they trek on handmade, horse-drawn sleds into China’s interior on a search for the birthplace of skiing. Austin explains, “Every kilometer that we traveled, we kept going back in time a little.” Relying on nothing but their horses, handmade sleds, indigenous guides and each other for protection from avalanches, storms and the bitter cold, Chris and Austin discover what it means to truly be an outsider. They eventually arrive in an ancient Chinese mountain community, where immaculate log cabins are nestled perfectly in a hidden skier’s utopia: “Ski in, ski out, with perfect blower powder.” Although it spurs interest for its shiny materials and complex design, Chris and Austin’s modern equipment is no match for the locals’ horsehair skins and hand-carved wooden skis. They simply can’t compete with this community’s distinctive techniques, equipment and terrain. Our American friends may stick out blatantly within this ancient Chinese civilization, but it becomes clear that no amount of cultural diversity can challenge the borderless brotherhood of skiing.