Over the seven decades that Warren Miller films have gotten skiers fired up for the promise of powder, ski racing rarely has been included but this year’s release does. “No Turning Back” has a spectacular segment shot at the Beaver Creek World Cups last year.
Helping to promote the biennial world championships coming to Beaver Creek Feb. 5-22, the Warren Miller lensmen captured the speed and danger of high-speed downhill and super-G, along with the grace of giant slalom. Ted Ligety, Bode Miller and EagleVail’s Mikaela Shiffrin all were on the GS podium last year at Beaver Creek. Shiffrin finished second — her first podium in GS — while Ligety and Miller went 1-2. All three won medals at the Sochi Olympics.
A group of skiers including Seth Morrison ski mountaineering above Chamonix, France, on the lower flanks of Mont Blanc, Photo by Cedric Bernandini from Warren Miller’s No Turning Back.
This year’s film, the 65th, also includes segments shot in France, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Greece, Montana and Alaska.
I loved the Beaver Creek segment. It has the usual super slow-motion shots but also has some real-time shots that capture what it means to race downhill at 70-80 mph. It takes us behind the scenes into the wax room, where skis are prepared, and has some wonderful archival footage of ski racing at Vail going back to 1962.
I also loved the segment shot in Chamonix, France, on the flanks of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. And there are some great scenes shot on Mount Olympus in Greece.
No Turning Back plays at the Boulder Theater Thursday through Sunday, then the Paramount in Denver Nov. 20-22. It also will be shown in Parker, Lakewood, Lone Tree, Aspen and Beaver Creek in coming weeks.
