The Warren Miller ski movie tradition

Warren Miller's name has been synonymous with skiing for nearly half a century. For years, the ski season didn't officially start here in Utah until after the annual Warren Miller ski movie.

He began his filming career shortly after leaving the Navy in 1946, buying a small trailer and an 8 mm movie camera and moving to Sun Valley.

At first he showed his movies to friends, then on invitation from small groups. In 1950, he took his first full-length production on the road — "Deep and Light" ... and the rest is history ...

He rented out halls and theaters, usually with borrowed money, and charged admission to his shows. He booked show halls near ski resorts so that he could film the next year's footage during the day, and show the current film in the evening. Before long he was showing his films in 130 cities a year.

Miller continued to head the company both creatively and executively until the late 1980s, when he sold the company to his son, Kurt Miller. Kurt later sold the company to Time Inc., publishers of SKI and SKIING magazines.

Miller still maintained his creative role as director and narrator for the films into the 1990s, but due to his age — over 80 — he distanced himself from production in recent years.

The productions continue in the Miller traditions, showing skiing sequences, and some non-skiing, taken around the world at both known and unknown resorts, and on traditional and non-traditional skiing slopes.