Warren Miller’s Newest: “No Turning Back”
This one is not to be missed.
Flipping out: Lofoten, Norway
Credit: Oystein Aasheim
My first Warren Miller film was in the early 50’s. That was when the Master, himself, was present to narrate each showing. You knew the season was
Chute running: Mt. Olympus, Greece
Credit: Josh Bibby
starting when Warren rolled into town.
I’ve seen many ski films over the years. After a while, despite camera tricks, ski gymnastics, and the latest soundtrack, they took on a boring sameness. How many times can you watch a daredevil huck the big cliff?
But I just watched Miller’s newest production, “No Turning Back”, and I’ve gotta tell you, this is not to be missed. It is a beautifully shot travelogue of some magnificent lines carved through some of the world’s best terrain.
For the SeniorsSkiing.com crowd, there’s a segment shot in Chamonix featuring a few 50+ skiers (52 and 60) and filled with wisdom about aging and skiing. One line sums it up: “When skiers say 50 is the new 40 (I’d make that 70 is the new 60), what they’re really saying is, Thank you, fat skis!”
“No Turning Back,” Miller’s 65th film, is narrated by Jonny Moseley, who, in his own way, channels the Warren Miller feeling with artful script laced with philosophy and humor. Interspersed throughout are great snippets of skiing history, including a northern Norway search for a ski that was carbon-dated to 3200 BC.
There’s a beautifully shot segment in steep powder runs in Cordova, Alaska, boarding in the bottomless powder of Hokkaido, Japan, and a piece on skiing in Greece, where there’s more than 20 areas less than two hours from the Aegean.
Two skiers hike and ski Mount Olympus while the narrator links it to Daedelus and Icarus.
A few hundred miles west, we’re introduced to two “speed riders” in Switzerland, guys skiing with paragliding kites, which allow them to huck enormous cliffs, touch down on a stretch of snow and get airborne within seconds.
Throughout, the film pays homage to female skiers, featuring several carving great turns on incredibly steep terrain.
Powder running: Chamonix, France
Credit: Mike Hatrup
For me, the most enjoyable segment was shot in Montana with big mountain skiers Julian Carr and the charming Sierra Quitiquit. (Julian has done any number on mind-boggling cliff jumps, including a 210′ front flip in Engleberg.) Montana has many smaller areas known for steeps and deeps. And their towns, unaffected by contemporary ski culture, remain time-warped, non-commercial, and down-home friendly.
“No Turning Back” is being shown around the country (locations and schedule). If ski films are your thing, or if you’ve been away from that genre for a while, find a hall where it’s playing. Regardless of age, it will make you want to be on the hill.
Special Edition: First SeniorsSkiing Ski Area Survey Results
Free Skiing, Deep Discounts For Senior Skiers Plus “Senior Friendly” Awards
Which areas are truly trying to accommodate 50-plus skiers? To find out, we surveyed 85 North American resorts. Several resorts stand out for giving senior skiers special attention and deals. They received the new SeniorsSkiing Skier Friendly Award. Those with the deepest discounts and best amenities received Gold awards. Those with better than average discounts received Silver Awards.
The survey had a 34 percent response and will be conducted annually. We hope that by asking the right questions for our readers, SeniorsSkiing.com will help drive greater recognition, discounts and amenities for senior snow sports enthusiasts.
SeniorsSkiing “Senior Friendly” Gold Awards
Of all respondents, six stand out with the best discounts and amenities.
- Whitefish Mountain Resort, MT — Free skiing for 70-plus skiers
- Hood Ski Bowl, OR — Free skiing for 71-plus skiers
- Ski Whitewater, BC — Free skiing for 75-plus skiers
- Alta, UT — Free skiing for 80-plus skiers
- Lake Louise, AB — $20 season pass for 80-plus skiers
- Waterville Valley, NH — Hosts Silver Streaks, the country’s longest running senior ski program. “We provide the structure and facilities; the members organize their own events,” explains Peter Sununu, Waterville spokesman. Members gather daily for coffee and pastries in a designated meeting area; enjoy mid-week NASTAR races, complimentary clinics, preferred parking, après-ski parties, awards banquets, other amenities.
Free skiing as a strategy to introduce the next generation
The percentage of all midweek senior skiers at resorts which offer free lift tickets for seniors is estimated to be about 50 percent. Mt. Hood Ski Bowl’s Hans Wipper explains the value of providing free skiing to the older customer, “We want to reward loyal skiers, and we want them to bring their extended families.”
SeniorsSkiing “Senior Friendly” Silver Award
These respondents had great discounts for seniors:
- Sutton, QUE — 55 percent off tickets Tuesdays, January – mid February.
- Okemo, VT — pre-December season pass purchase (includes Mt. Sunapee, Pico Peak, Killington, Crested Butte): 45 percent off for 65-plus; 70 percent off for 70-plus.
- Ski Butternut, MA — pre-December season pass purchase: $125 for 65-plus
- Sugarbush, VT — $199 for Mid-Week Boomer Pass for 65+ (was $99 before Sept 9).
Other Silver Awards went to:
- Alpine Meadows, CA
- Copper Mountain, CO
- Vail, CO
- Hunter Mountain, NY
- Windham Mountain, NY
- Deer Valley, UT
- Snow Basin, UT
- Snowbird, UT
- Red Mountain Resort, BC
- Whistler Blackcomb, BC
- Mont Tremblant, QUE
Takeaways: Lift ticket deals are out there, especially for the early-bird, pre-season buyer. So are discounts in restaurants, rentals and other amenities. Look and ask.
We also encourage ski area management to consider the business benefits of catering to the interests of the senior skier: increased mid-week traffic, younger “tag along” full paying clients, and a loyal and vocal clientele.
The 2014-15 Season Officially Starts: Guess Where
Lifts are open in the high Rockies!
What we’ve been waiting for has finally happening. Subtly, to be sure. The lifts opened on Oct 17 at Arapahoe Basin, the first ski area to open this season. Robin’s egg blue day. Let’s hope we see more of those this year.
First run at A-Basin.
Credit: Al’s Blog
To read the scoop on A-Basin’s opening day, click here for Al’s Blog, the official Arapahoe Basin blog. To scrutinize what is happening right now on the mountain, click here for A-basin webcams from OpenSnow, another cool ski website.
Snow is coming soon to a mountain near you.
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