Last week I was lucky enough to go to the London premiere of this year's Warren Miller film, ...Like There's No Tomorrow. With last year's offering, Wintervention, being a killer film, ...Like There's No Tomorrow had a lot to live up to.
As you would expect Warren Miller didn't let us down with this year's film. Due to the epic amounts of snowfall last season, some incredible skill, some heart-warming stories centring on legends such as Tom Day, and of course some good humour, the film was a real ball.
To add to the great film that was on offer, the Warren Miller Tour had the usual fun you would expect from the film makers. During the banter-filled interval prizes from the main sponsors, including a pair of Rossignol skis, a Columbia jacket and some Warren Miller film crew kit, were given away. The guys from Nissan, the film's main sponsor definitely looked to have enjoyed the pre-film hospitality and cheered endlessly throughout the break.
... Like's There's No Tomorrow gets into the action pretty quickly with a trip to the Indian Himalayas. Big mountain skier, Lynsey Dyer and the renowned Alaskan heli-guide, Lel Tone, take us on a trip to these magical mountains. With true first descents on huge faces, followed by some sublime tree skiing, that wouldn't look out of place in a Japanese resort, whet the appetite. After taking on the huge lines and never-before-skied sections of the mountains, the girls head to the local resort of Gulmarg to showcase the country's basic, but dedicated skiing scene, while handing out a few tips to the locals.
Another standout section of the film was the trip to Andreas Hatweit's backyard in Sudndalen, Norway. The freestyle skier has built a world class park literally in his garden and the section includes a selection of top skiers, including Jossi Wells and Britain's James Woods, sessioning the park in day time and under flood lights. This is pretty nuts and needs to be seen to be believed. It definitely beats anything I've seen outside any seasonaire accommodation in the Alps!
The Monashee's section featuring the Yeti has to be my favourite. It starts with skier Andy Mahre declaring: "The key to life is to live each day like it’s your last day. If you’re sitting on the couch, you’re obviously not riding powder, so maybe you should get off the couch." The section that has Mahre and Tyler Ceccanti showing the insane powder, endless pillow lines and mouth-watering skiing to be had from BC's infamous Monashee Lodge. If the awesome riding isn't enough, there is also a subplot involving a yeti stalking Mahre and snaking his lines.
The Rahlves Banzai Tour is pure madness and nothing less. Imagine skier-cross with no rules and you have Banzai Downhill, essentially it's four skiers or snowboarders and the first to the bottom, crashes, shoves and cutting one another up is all part of the carnage. As described by one of the participants: "[you] go as fast as you can, down the gnarliest terrain that you can find and hopefully make it to the bottom." Brilliant.
The film ends on a mixed note with a trip to Alaska. The Alaska section starts with the Point North Heli-skiing family, describing their founders Kevin & Jessica Quinn, along with their new baby. The team then head into the Chegach Mountains with Seth Wescott, Tim Durtschi and Kip Garre, showcasing the incredible, steep, deep terrain on offer.
The section then turns into homage to Kip Garre, after informing the audience of his lost life in an avalanche last winter, the moving section showcases Garre's fantastic skiing and love of the mountains, along with Seth Wescott paying tribute to him. The section, and with it the film, is brought to an end with Wescott's quote, which is also the influence behind the title, " “It doesn't matter what’s going to happen tomorrow because you are living for the moment…and you are totally engrossed in it…and you are loving being there and being present like that. People who commit themselves to this lifestyle take advantage of it…like there might not be a tomorrow."
...Like There's No Tomorrow is about skiing with that in mind, instead of approaching each run thinking about what's next, it's about enjoying every minute on your skis and snowboard as if they are your last. Out of all the films I have seen this year, Warren Miller's latest offering is the one that has me pining for the mountains the most. I know I'll only have one trip this winter, but I'll be treating each day as if it's my last.
