Utah's fluffy powder is star of Warren Miller ski film

It's not always easy finding really deep powder snow. The kind of powder that coats goggles, stops breathing and hides skiers under a veil of white.

It's the deep snow that good skiers and snowboarders seek out and novices can't pass on without trying a few awkward turns.

One of the easiest places to get buried in cold, white crystals is here in Utah. The powder also makes for great movies.

Skiers and cameramen for the latest movie by Warren Miller — "Children of Winter" — had no trouble finding light, fluffy powder for the Utah segment, not with total snow accumulations last winter of nearly 700 inches. In fact, a release from Miller said a Utah segment includes skiing the deepest powder ever caught on film.

The movie will premier tonight in Abravanel Hall at 8 p.m. It will be shown again Friday in Abravanel Hall at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. It will also play in Park City on Friday and Saturday and in Ogden on Saturday.

This will be the third year Miller has opened his movie tour in Utah. What moviegoers will see, said Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, "is Utah resorts at their best ... which accounted for a record ski season and a near-record snowfall last year."

"And, as has been said before, some of the footage of the powder skiing in Utah is absolutely incredible," Rafferty said.

Because of the desert climate in Utah, the water content of the snow that falls is much less than in other parts of the country. Snow at Alta and Snowbird routinely has a 5 percent moisture content, which makes for the light, fluffy flakes Utah has become famous for.

There are storms in other parts of the country where the water content is closer to 30 and 40 percent, which results in a heavy, hard base. The average density for Alta/Snowbird snow is about 7 percent.

Before its appearances end, the movie will have been shown in more than 100 cities and nine countries worldwide.

Viewing a Miller movie has become a tradition among many skiers. Some suggest that the skiing and snowboarding season can't officially start until after Miller makes his annual movie presentation.

This year's movie will have special meaning to Utahns. One of its most noted free skiers, Billy Poole, was killed while filming a jump near the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, between Brighton and Solitude. There is a special segment in the movie on Poole.

While taking one of his trademark long-distance jumps, he hit a rock. He was taken by helicopter to the University of Utah Hospital in extremely critical conditions and died a short time later.

His friends say he was known for "dropping big lines" and long, daring jumps.