For more than 75 years, the name Warren Miller has been synonymous with incredible skiing adventures. On Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, Mohawk Mountain will screen “Days Off,” the 77th film bearing Miller’s name.
Miller was a ski bum in the truest sense, pioneering the nomadic lifestyle now adopted by skiers, climbers, hikers and van-life influencers alike. Long before it was normal, Miller would camp out in the parking lots of big ski mountains to save money on hotel rooms. He’d shoot and eat his own dinners, usually rabbit, unless some well-to-do admirer felt like taking him to a restaurant. He got by as a ski instructor for 25 cents an hour, plus free hamburgers. Eventually, he got his hands on a video camera so he could watch himself ski for the first time, and took to it so naturally that there was no question about his next move.
In 1950, Miller released his first ski movie, “Deep and Light.” In 1951, it was “California Skis.” Then “Wandering Skis” in 1952 and “Ski Fantasy” in 1953. Every year until 1987, Miller would shoot, direct and narrate an entirely new ski movie. He’d take it on the road from ski town to ski town, showing it to packed theaters of fans.
In the beginning, Miller narrated the films live in the theater. He’d take his script and comment on the footage he had shot and edited together, showing perfect runs through dream conditions in seeminly impossible locales.
By the time he recorded his narration directly onto the films, he had honed a kind of relaxed style that endeared him to audiences. His dry wit and humor made him and his annual screenings part of their family traditions.
Miller kept narrating his films until 2004, when he retired to run the ski program at the Yellowstone Club, one of the most exclusive outdoors clubs in the world. His production company, however, never slowed down, cranking out a movie every year, even after Miller’s death in 2018.
Mohawk Mountain has its own storied history, important to skiers all over the world, whether they know it or not. Though Civilian Conservation Corps cut some trails into the mountain in the 1930s, it wasn’t until Army veteran Walt Schoenknecht leased 100 acres of land from the state forest in 1946 that skiing really took off.
But just two years into its operation, Connecticut had a nearly snow-free winter. Rather than sit and complain, Schoenknecht put his Army ingenuity to work and tried something nobody had the guts or means to do — he made his own snow.
That first season, Schoenknecht and his team chipped and spread tons of ice, which melted just a few days later with a day of rain. But the concept had been proven. The following year, Mohawk Mountain started building infrastructure that would allow it to cover nearly a quarter of its trails in artificial snow.
Today, the mountain is known as the birthplace of snowmaking, a technology that has extended ski seasons around the world and brought skiing to areas that never had consistent snowfall. In the face of climate change, it’s one of the most important aspects of modern ski resort success.
Warren Miller was one of the first people to champion this technology, bringing it to a wider audience through his films. Though Schoenknecht is credited as the father of snowmaking, Miller was one of its greatest advocates.
Before the snowmaking machines even have a chance to fire up, Mohawk will get the skiing community in the mood by screening “Days Off” in its base lodge. For over 20 years, this has been a tradition unlike any other on the mountain.
Mohawk doesn’t screen other movies, and aside from the Cornwall Rummage Sale, it tends to focus on creating unforgettable skiing experiences at Connecticut’s largest ski area. If you’re looking forward to a season on the slopes, nothing will get you excited quite like a Warren Miller movie.
For more information about Mohawk Mountain and to purchase tickets, visit mohawkmtn.com.
Provided
Housy girls soccer players huddle before a game.Provided
