This winter, Warren Miller celebrates 60 years of filmmaking with the release of ‘Dynasty.’ Warren Miller films are known for fresh cinematography, immeasurable talent, in-your-face powder shots, massive cliffs, unmatched scenery, and exotic locations like China, South America, and Alaska to name a few. This year’s exotic location is right here in our very own backyard, Lake Tahoe.
Perhaps as a result of our world-class skiing, Tahoe also produces elite skiers and snowboarders. Many of our athletes compete at the top of the World Cup and Olympic ranks, and they are also the heroes we see in the movies pulling off unbelievable runs, jumps, and stunts. ‘Dynasty’ features many local stars including Daron Rahlves, JT Holmes, Ingrid Backstrom, Errol Kerr, Jonny Moseley, Kevin and Jessica Quinn, Allen Riley, Jason Mack, Jamie Burge, Kevin Bramble, and Kip Garre.
I had an opportunity to talk with a few of these ski idols to find out what it takes to make a movie and what makes them tick. All the athletes agreed that producing a film and getting unforgettable shots takes monumental amounts of work. Sure there are plenty of early-ups and helicopter rides and bottomless untracked powder opportunities, but they are well earned. Five a.m. departures and hours of hiking and working one small section of a mountain may net only five runs after 10 hours of work. Of that, there may be only a minute or two that makes the big screen.
A six-second moment you see on the screen may have taken two hours to capture. Holmes recounted a day when they had been filming all day in North Lake Tahoe and then headed off to South Lake Tahoe to get a special lakeview shot. Arriving late in the day, they found the snow was horrible. To salvage the situation they hustled to get a kicker built before the sun disappeared. With only a second or two of air time, Holmes thought it wasn’t worth it; but cameraman Tom Day turned those two seconds of air time into eight seconds of screen time.
Bluebird days, endless powder shots, and huge 2000-foot-plus descents make up a greater portion of these films each year.
Alaska and hidden backcountry stashes provide many of these locations. This terrain doesn’t come without its own dangers. The run may never have been skied, and the only inspection may have been from afar or from a helicopter on the way up. It is an unnerving feeling: skis hanging over the edge knowing you are about to drop in with only the first few turns visible.
Many times Rahlves and Holmes will rely on a photo of the terrain taken from the helicopter or from below. Interpreting that photo when standing on a knife-edge ridge is quite a task. JT Holmes calls it the ‘memorization game.’ He knows he is capable of doing the line he plans, but it is 80 percent mental when you drop in: executing it is only 20 percent of the overall challenge. Esteemed World Cup and Olympic downhiller Rahlves says he is more scared skiing these big lines than in the start of a downhill. It all seems to relate to the unknown: variable snow conditions, avalanches, trees, rocks, cliffs, and exposure to danger. Errol Kerr, former racer and member of the Jamaican ski team, had similar feelings. He says that in the start of a race he feels 100 percent confident. When he gets race course reports on the radio in the start gate, he can compare those comments to his observations on course inspection. In the film environment, there has been no ‘on course’ inspection, and when someone radios in info about rock locations or cliff bands he sometimes thinks, ‘Are we talking about the same marks?’
Rahlves and Holmes both feel the camera pushes them to perform. Holmes says he skis harder on-camera than off, while Rahlves said being filmed is like having competition in a race. Neither Backstrom nor Kerr feels that the camera itself pushes, but they feed off the energy of the other skiers and step up their game.
Although there are infinite ways to ski a particular run, there is only one chance at it when you are filming. These skiers didn’t get to where they are without being competitive, and getting the first tracks is part of that. When everyone wants the same line, Backstrom says it comes down to rock, paper, scissors. Often when she looks back at a run, even after just ripping it, she wants a second chance to do it differently. Rahlves feels the same way; often when he finishes a race, he can look back up and know that he skied at 100 percent. However, with filming, he looks back and thinks that he could have attacked the line differently by going bigger or faster.
While it may not be possible to live the edgy, glamorous lifestyle of these film stars, it can be done vicariously with ‘Dynasty.’ Catch all these Tahoe locals performing at their best in the premier at Crystal Bay Casino, Friday, Nov. 27 and Sat., Nov. 28, two shows nightly 6:30 and 9:15 p.m.
Keep an eye on Rahlves; daronrahlves.com , Kerr; errolkerr.com , and Quinn; alaskaheliski.com.
