A skier kicks up a cloud of powder while moving across a slope from the sun into shade.
SKI & SNOW

Columbia Sportswear Partners with Warren Miller Entertainment on Film “75”

Columbia ambassadors Cassie Sharpe and Alex Ferreira help Warren Miller celebrate 75 years and 75 films in this year’s film, “75”
BY: NANCY BOUCHARD
Few ski movies are as fun as those created by Warren Miller. His films helped to revolutionize the world of ski and snowboard. Warren Miller not only popularized skiing and snowboarding but also infused the sports with a hip, adventurous spirit. His distinctive voice and witty commentary, combined with stunning cinematography, perfectly captured the ski lifestyle.

Miller’s work is known for dramatic scenes of athletes dropping steep, powder-filled chutes and navigating treacherous cliff bands. The iconic films showcase skill and grit, with unique characters and unabashed humor. By using helicopter footage, Miller introduced young skiers and riders to what are now bucket list destinations, like Japan, Alaska, and the Alps.

While looking forward to new possibilities in skiing and snowboarding, Miller never forgot about the past. Through historical footage and flashbacks, the audience never forgot the sport’s roots. And, since the films included not only flawless runs and clean jumps, but also epic crashes, no one ever forgot that skiing required equal parts of technique and luck.
Poised on a steep slope of fresh powder snow, a skier plants a pole in anticipation of the next turn.
While on leave from the U.S. Navy in the 1940s, Miller shot his first ski footage in Yosemite National Park. After World War II, the ski and surf enthusiast bought his first 8mm movie camera and moved to Sun Valley, where he lived in a trailer in the ski resort’s parking lot. He filmed skiing—reportedly to improve his own technique—and, in the off-season, returned to California for surf footage. Warren Miller was one of the world’s first ski bums, although the formation of Warren Miller Films in 1949 propelled him into the high-stakes world of sports entertainment. Miller passed away in 2018 at the age of 93, but his legacy lives on.

The 1976 film Steep and Deep introduced extreme skiing to the world, featuring ski legends like Stein Eriksen, Phil Mahre, and Billy Kidd floating through powder from Japan to France to New Zealand. The beauty of Steep and Deep, like all of Miller’s work, is that it showcased not only incredible athletic feats, but also real people engaged in daring activities that didn’t always end well. Miller’s films are filled with beautiful moments of skiers and snowboarders soaring through untracked powder and demonstrating technical prowess on groomers and racecourses, but they also feature epic crashes, lost skis, misjudged jumps, and, of course, iconic day-glow one-piece suits, colorful headbands, fashion-bending hairstyles and oversized mirrored sunglasses. In many ways, Warren Miller films set the standard for ski fashion and style.

Warren Miller once said that the only people crazier than those who make ski movies are the ones who star in them. This year’s film, “75” features two Columbia Ambassadors, Olympians Cassie Sharpe and Alex Ferreira, and both are crazy good. The film is designed to celebrate the explosion of elite women’s sports, although male phenoms like Ferreira make some cameos.
Columbia Sportswear Ski Ambassador and Olympian, Cassie Sharpe, holds her skis while wearing a blue Columbia Parka.
“Film makers spent a week with Columbia ambassador and Canadian Olympic halfpipe champ Cassie Sharpe, who's on a journey that would have been unimaginable a generation ago, combining a career at the very top of the sport with being a first-time mother. They also included a halfpipe segment with Alex Ferreira, the Olympic Silver Medalist in the Half Pipe and X-Game champion, because he’s just so good,” says Michah Abrams, VP of Content Development for Warren Miller.

Sharpe says that Warren Miller Films first came across her radar when she watched There’s No Tomorrow at a premier in Whistler. “I loved the cinematography they had of the mountains and the heli shots,” she says. Her favorite film is Future Retro for its athlete highlights.

For Sharpe, returning to Aspen to film “75,” her favorite stop of the year for X-Games, with her baby, Lou, and mother, was a moving experience. “It was great to share Aspen with them. It was a wild sensation to have them there and be amping myself up to do some of my first tricks.”

Sharpe rocked Columbia’s “Moon Kit,” with the new Omni-Heat Infinity to keep the Warren Miller fashion and style vibe moving forward. “I love a good monochromatic look and Columbia provided just that with this awesome Maroon kit. Keeping warm and looking fresh!!
Columbia Sportswear Ski Ambassador and Olympic athlete, Alex Ferreira, soars off a jump while eying a landing for a backflip.
Ferreira reports that Warren Miller Films have been on his radar since he was nine years old. His favorite is the 1995 Endless Winter “Not only was it simply epic, but it made me want to jump,” he says. Ferreira says he was honored to be invited to perform for “75.”

Ferreira says that being filmed for “75” was an honor. “Warren Miller is one of the most iconic and classic names in skiing. People should watch "75" because it is the 75th anniversary of Warren Miller and the 75th film that they have made. That is insanely impressive and exciting to be a part of. The fact that they have been in business for that long making ski movies telling countless different stories is certainly a point of awe.”

Warren Miller Entertainment’s Abrams says that Columbia and Warren Miller are a perfect match. “Warren Miller Entertainment and Columbia go back a long way, I can neither confirm nor deny that Warren had a thing for Ma Boyle—but we shared the same values from day one: great stuff for skiers and snowboarders at a great price. Sure, we make movies and Columbia makes clothing, but guess what? All the skiers and snowboarders in our movies wear clothing! We've worked together over the years, but "75" is all about putting a spotlight on the future of the sport.”
A skier in a one-piece Columbia Sportswear snow suit gracefully lands a big jump.

Here's what Abrams has to say about this year’s Warren Miller film (Warren Miller 75)

When and where can I watch “75?”

You mean, other than "everywhere"? Every year, we tour the film across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand and you don't think we're holding anything back for our 75th birthday, do you? Just head to  warrenmiller.com to find a show near you, and if you can't join us in the theater (and you should TOTALLY join us in the theater -- that's how Warren would have wanted it!), the film will stream on demand for Outside+ members on Outside TV and be available for free on our FAST channel beginning at the end of December.

What should viewers look forward to seeing in Warren Miller 75?

In some ways, "75" is just what you'd expect from a Warren Miller film—a bunch of segments featuring different skiers and snowboarders chasing deep powder, heart-stopping lines, and big air all over the world. But in other ways, the film is truly unique. We collaborated with X Games host Selema Masekela to tell a story of mentorship and inclusion through the eyes of two of snowboarding's brightest lights—Zeb Powell and LJ Henriquez. The crazy minds at Sherpas Cinema opened a portal for us to a magical mountain where sorcerers get first tracks. We'll spend time with two of the most creative groups on snow—Finland's Real SkiFi and Cuban Lu's Technically Doing It Crew—and that's just the start. It's going to be a huge celebration fit for a huge birthday.

How can I watch old Warren Miller films?

The entire Warren Miller archive is available for free to Outside+ members.
For your next ski and snowboarding adventure, check out Columbia’s
ski and snowboarding apparel. And don’t forget your après ski outfit for when you watch “75.”
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