From SnoWorld #66

The year is 1989 and Chris Anthony is in the starting gate at Vail’s Hard Corps Skier Challenge, a one-of-a-kind competition full of bumps, jumps and gates. It’s the event’s final round, and he’s up against Mike Farny, a skiing icon and Warren Miller veteran who also happens to be Anthony's idol. Anthony loses the race, but Farny is still impressed. Within a few weeks, the two of them are skiing in France, filming for Warren Miller’s 40^th film, Extreme Winter.

The rest was history. Anthony has been in every Warren Miller film since—for 26 years—entertaining us with his vibrant personality, endless humor, and of course, top-notch skiing. From growing up in Denver and watching Warren narrate films live on stage in City Park, to alpine racing on an international stage, to earning the respect of the Warren Miller crew on and off the slopes, his story has inspired the next generation of skiiers. Today, through his Youth Initiative Project and other ventures, he helps kids with scholarships, gives speeches, and takes skiers on unforgettable trips around the world, giving them just a taste of the experiences he’s had over the past few decades. The Colorado native has plenty to say about the journey that made him one of the most-recognized and respected names in skiing. He shares his best and most memorable moments on location with Warren Miller.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF WARREN MILLER FILMS

My parents started taking me to the films. They were huge fans, and Warren actually used to come and show the film at City Park at the Fitz Auditorium [in Denver]. It happened every fall, of course, and he would come and narrate it live. My parents always allowed me to bring one friend, and I remember they would bring the tickets home and put them on the refrigerator. … And I would always dream as I was watching the film that somehow Warren was like hiding in the trees or something [the winter before] and caught me on film and I would somehow magically be in the movie that year. It was always kind of in the back of my head that maybe that might happen.

Anthony has taken his share of unconventional transportation. Here, he’s in Northwestern China for "Dynasty" in 2009.

FIRST WARREN MILLER TRIP

Head wanted to sponsor a segment in France along with Audi, so the first thing we did was fly into Munich and pick up two brand-new Audis literally off the factory floor. They had zero miles on them, and we drove them from Germany into France, and it was still one of the craziest trips I’ve ever been on.

We had the radios going, and we were passing cars around blind corners because we’d have one car with a radio in front that would let us know if it was clear and so we’d go off total trust. It was just super fun. I learned how to paraglide on that trip, too, and pushed every limit. It was also really the first time I’d ever freeskied real off-piste terrain; I hate the word, but sort of ‘extreme’ skiing terrain. I was a racer, and the whole idea of skiing off-piste stuff that was avalanche-potential terrain was so foreign to me.

So we were doing that, and I’m on my race skis, and the first thing I skied for the camera was down this chute. I looked down at the cameraman Bill Heath and my idol Mike Farny, and I started skiing down towards them. But then they dropped what they were doing, and took off. They’re not even filming me skiing, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I must really suck.’ But that’s when I realized I was experiencing my first avalanche. I was literally on a large plate of snow that was just moving down the mountain. So, I was thrown into the deep end pretty quick with those guys.

 

FAVORITE TRIP WITH WARREN MILLER

The one that always seems to pop out was Norway in 1997. We were above the Arctic Circle, somewhere above Tromsø. It was May, I think, so the sun never really set. It would just sort of skim the horizon. They had just dropped me off on top of a peak, and they went off to go film Bob Rankin. He fell and blew his knee, and they had to take him out of there. So, all of the sudden, I was all by myself on top of this peak in the Arctic Circle with no sign of anybody in sight. Everyone was so far away that the radios weren’t picking up anything.

And I just kind of sat there, and it was like 11 at night with the sun skimming the fjords, and I was thinking, ‘How does this happen? How did my life lead to this moment?’ And you really start putting it all together and thinking about all of these things: from your parents introducing you to the sport, to going to the Warren Miller movies at City Park, to the training, to the race programs, to doing well in that one competition [Hard Corps Skier Challenge], to meeting Mike Farny. And all the sudden, I’m sitting on this beautiful peak out in the middle of nowhere because of all that.

Always up for trying something new, Anthony tries skijoring in Leadville, Colo., for "Children of Winter" in 2008.

BEST DAY OF SKIING WITH WARREN MILLER

That’s a pretty easy one for me, actually. So I did a shoot last year [2014] in Cordova, Alaska, for No Turning Back. And it was part of a Völkl segment that was supposed to just feature Jess McMillan and Ingrid Backstrom. It was supposed to be an all-female segment but I was added at the last minute, luckily. It was blessing for me to have my 25^th opportunity to be in the film in one of my favorite spots with these two amazing women.   

I was instructed to sit back and support Ingrid and Jess, and my shots would come when they could. One of those opportunities arrived after the girls just completed skiing one of the most iconic peaks in the Chugach under the guidance of Kim Grant. It was nearing the end of the day, and I saw this beautiful north-facing peak with a perfect steep side to it, and I asked if we could land there. And Ingrid goes, ‘Chris, this is yours. You get to have it first.’

I was blown away as we landed on this narrow ridge. I stepped out of the helicopter, and I had my dad’s ashes with me, and I jetted over to the line that Tom Day [Warren Miller Cinematographer] wanted me to ski, and I was able to drop some of the ashes at the top and then drop into my line. It was amazing. I got to the bottom and was amped. Later that evening, we found out that this particular peak had not been skied before. So I got to name it after my father who had just passed away and whose ashes I had put on it. The run is now called “VINO.”

 

HARDEST DAY OF SKIING WITH WARREN MILLER

We were on the highest peak in Iran, Mount Damavand [in 2001]. The entire team was sick in a brutally cold metal hut at 17,000 feet in the middle of the night. We were determined to ski this iconic mountain and document the ascent and descent, and began the last ascent a few hours before sunrise. [Warren Miller athlete] Spencer Wheatley was throwing up while one of the cameramen was so sick he couldn’t get up. I felt like crap and [athlete] Dean Cummings could barely get his boots on. But we started the climb anyway. I think that one cameraman stayed down, and the other one started with us but eventually turned around, leaving us with the camera. So it was just Dean, Spencer and I just slogging our way to the top. It was so flipping hard. We got near the summit, and I couldn’t have cared less even about looking around at the sites.  I just wanted to get down and go home, or at least get in a warm bed and cry somewhere.

Anthony waits for his ride on the USS Nimitz for "Higher Ground" in 2005.

FAVORITE FILM 

Gosh, last year’s film No Turning Back was really well done. It had a slightly different feel to it. But I have to go with Cold Fusion as that sticks out the most in my mind. I feel like it was a game-changer for Warren Miller Entertainment. I think that’s when they moved away from the library music and started using real bands. Digital editing really kicked in, too. I have been hosting the film for over 20 years, and the audience really loved both last year’s and Cold Fusion.

 

WHY I’VE STAYED WITH WARREN MILLER ENTERTAINMENT

I’ve never been a person that’s always like ‘Check me out.’ I just wanted to be a part of the journey, and that’s allowed a lot of flexibility. The Warren Miller crew can poke fun at me and put me in weird situations, and I don’t have an issue with that at all. As long as it’s for the betterment of telling the story or for the film, it’s important for me to be part of it. And what I’ve also learned, ironically, is that with our audience in the long run, they don’t remember who dropped the most radical cliff. They remember the stuff that more applies to them, like the goofball that put on the military gear and jumped in freezing cold water. They remember the stuff they can relate to as being a regular person. That’s helped build my brand and my character.