Long before there was such a thing as ESPN – heck, long before cable TV or sports being branded as “eXtreme,” filmmaker Warren Miller was making sports documentaries from the ski slopes of this country and around the world. Even if you were a kid growing up in Texas, probably two full days’ drive from the nearest mountain, you knew the name Warren Miller, and you wanted to see the skiing daredevils do their thing on film.
‘Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story’ is for any audience, because it’s not really about skiing as much as it’s about a guy who had an idea. A guy who started by borrowing a few hundred dollars and became his own photographer, editor and even narrator. He is credited in some circles as raising the awareness and “coolness” of skiing for generations.
This was around 1950, the genre known as “Sports Documentary” didn’t exist, per se. But Miller, who you’d have to say was an entrepreneur more than anything, took his P.T. Barnum sensibilities on the road, showing a new film every year, going from town to town, narrating his films live while school auditoriums and town halls full of wide-eyed viewers delighted to the thrills of the camera going downhill at top speeds, following the best skiers in the business, but also taking time to show “ordinary” families on the slopes, as well as skiers with disabilities.
The film, then, is the story of a pioneer as told by Miller himself. The 93 year old sat for a lengthy interview shortly before his death in 2018, and he is the center of the doc, though there are plenty of skiers and filmmakers and family members who also weigh in.
There were sacrifices and personal failures, not to mention he was bought out by his own son who saw a market for more and more extreme angles, as televised extreme sports became more popular in the early 90s. Miller made at least 56 films, it wasn’t easy for him to walk away, and you could say that he never completely did.
I’ve only been skiing one time, a half day, in my entire life. But I’ve known the name Warren Miller since childhood. Seeing his personal story may not be as thrilling as a 90 degree drop from the top of a mountain, but it’s always inspiring to see how a person’s drive can take off in unexpected ways.
‘Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story’ 3 out of 4 Stars. Reviewed by Kyle Osborne. Now Streaming Exclusively on discovery+. Buy or Rent Here
