In this undated photo provided by the Warren Miller Co., Warren Miller is shown posing for a photo with a film camera. (Warren Miller Co./via The Associated Press)

In this undated photo provided by the Warren Miller Co., Warren Miller is shown posing for a photo with a film camera. (Warren Miller Co./via The Associated Press)

Legendary skiing filmmaker Warren Miller dies at age 93

  • By Phuong Le The Associated Press
  • Friday, January 26, 2018 1:30am
  • News

By Phuong Le

The Associated Press

ORCAS ISLAND — Warren Miller, 93, the legendary outdoor filmmaker who for decades made homages to downhill skiing that he narrated with his own humorous style, has died.

His family said in a statement that Miller died of natural causes Wednesday evening at his home on Orcas Island.

A World War II veteran, ski racer, surfer and sailor, Miller produced more than 500 action films about a variety of outdoor activities including surfing and sailing.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

But he was best known for his thrill-seeking films featuring daredevil skiers barrelling down breathtakingly steep slopes.

His annual ski movies served as informal kickoffs to ski season and became a rite of passage for the legions of ski bums and snowboarders who flocked to see them at movie theaters and played them on video while relaxing with drinks after tough ski days.

“Warren’s legacy of adventure, freedom and humour carries on in the countless lives he touched,” his wife of 30 years, Laurie Miller, said in a statement Thursday.

“Warren loved nothing more than sharing his life’s adventures and hearing literally every day from friends old and new about how his stories inspired others to enrich and enjoy their own lives.”

Miller was born in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles in 1924.

He grew up during the Depression and said his family struggled to put food on the table.

According to a biography on his website at http://www.skinet.com/warren miller/, Miller bought his first camera for 39 cents when he was 12 years old.

He used earnings from his newspaper route to buy his first skis and bamboo ski poles when he was 15 and took his first run at Mount Waterman near Los Angeles with his Boy Scout troop.

“I really believe in my heart that that first turn you make on a pair of skis is your first taste of total freedom, the first time in your life that you could go anywhere that your adrenaline would let you go,” he told The Seattle Times in a 2010 interview.

Miller played varsity basketball at the University of Southern California and served in the Navy.

In 1946, he bought a camera for $77 and set off with his friend Ward Baker in a 1936 Buick Phaeton towing a teardrop trailer to ski destinations across the U.S., including Yosemite, Jackson Hole and Mammoth Mountain.

They camped in parking lots of ski resorts, perfecting the ski bum life.

He once recalled loving the smell of rabbit frying in the silent evening while parked in Sun Valley’s parking lot.

Miller launched his film career in 1950 with his first skiing film, “Deep and Light.”

He headed Warren Miller Entertainment until the late 1980s when he sold it to his son, Kurt Miller. Time Inc. bought it in 2000 and later sold it. Warren Miller Entertainment It is now owned by Active Interest Media.

Miller was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1978.

Aside from his wife, Miller is survived by sons Scott and Kurt, daughter Chris and a stepson, Colin Kaufman.

More in News

The ferry MV Coho backs into its landing after returning to Port Angeles on Tuesday following annual dry dock and maintenance in Anacortes. During the maintenance period, extensive work was performed on the dock, including replacement of a wing wall used to steer and secure the vessel during loading and unloading of cars and passengers. The ferry is scheduled to resume daily service between Port Angeles and Victoria on Thursday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Coho returns

The ferry MV Coho backs into its landing after returning to Port… Continue reading

Building association calls for city to cease utility charges

Association says charges unconstitutional

Jefferson Land Trust considering conservation burial ground

Funds from plot sales could fund habitat improvements

Port Angeles artist Bob Stokes sits in his studio and music venue on Wednesday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Art community mourns Bob Stokes’ passing

Legacy includes statues, concerts, gatherings

Clallam PUD
Cindy Kimble, Clallam PUD’s customer and community outreach programs coordinator, can help residents navigate the utility district’s revamped low-income energy assistance program.
Clallam PUD hires staff to help low-income customers

Clallam County Public Utility District has overhauled its low-income energy… Continue reading

Jen Colmore, left, and June Nichols of the Sequim Food Bank serve a sample of chili to Monica Dixon of Sequim during Saturday’s Community Chili Cookoff at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club. The event, organized by the club and Boy Scout Troop 90, showcased the culinary skills of six community organizations with each group receiving a share of the proceeds and the winner taking a $500 prize. The food bank’s chili recipe took top honors in the competition. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Chili cookoff

Jen Colmore, left, and June Nichols of the Sequim Food Bank serve… Continue reading

Port Townsend to test sewer system with smoke, dye

The city of Port Townsend will test its sewer… Continue reading

JUMP! Playground to close for renovations

Jefferson County Parks and Recreation will close the JUMP! Playground… Continue reading

Barcy Fisher, left, and Patti Buckland have been selected as the 2024 Marrowstone Island Citizens of the Year.
Fisher, Buckland honored as Marrowstone Island citizens of year

Barcy Fisher and Patty Buckland were named Marrowstone Island’s 2024… Continue reading

About 800 people from Jefferson and Clallam counties spill out from the steps of the Jefferson County Courthouse onto Jefferson Street in Port Townsend on Monday to take part in a National Day of Protest organized by the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.” (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Hundreds protest actions of Trump administration

Activists cite USAID, worry about Treasury, impacts of immigration

Peninsula to welcome Canadian visitors

Celebration of Coho passengers planned

Fish barrier removal to impact highway traffic

Portions of roadway to have long-term closures