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Last Lift
Warren Miller’s Close-up: Candid Autobiography
Chronicles Life of Legendary Ski Filmmaker

BY PETER KRAY

Freedom Found. By Warren Miller (with Andy Bigford).
Warren Miller Company, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9636144-6-9.
Hardcover $29.95. Pg. 512.

AS A CHILD FIRST SET ON SKIS at the age of two, at least half a welfare scam and the
the memories I have are intertwined with the backdrop of a remaining family members
snow-covered hill. For decades now, skiing has defined my go to live with her parents
family, providing a core element of the stories we tell. Along does the young Warren begin
the way, the iconic ski filmmaker Warren Miller has pro- to acquire the skills and con-
vided a substantial voice in that narrative. Even now, his fidence that will later help
oft-repeated invitation to adventure, “If you don’t do it this him in his career.
Above photo by Chase Melvin Shaw,
year, you will be one year older when you do,” continues to His grandfather Walter Saddleback Resort: 1st Place Winner
serve as a reminder to enjoy life—and especially travel—as and great-uncle Charlie, of the 2016 SMI Photo Contest
often as possible. inventors who built medi-
So I may be excused for thinking Miller’s new autobiog- cal equipment, hired Miller
raphy, Freedom Found, My Life Story, which he wrote with to run many of the machines
longtime ski scribe Andy Bigford, would read like a never- in the family shop, while his snow
ending sunset of perfect powder days and après cocktails grandmother Edith provided the love and order he had
with celebrity jetsetters in the alpenglow. Thankfully, albeit longed for. A lifelong surfer, Miller also finds freedom in
often heartbreakingly, that is not Miller’s story at all. In fact, the water and in riding his bike and playing basketball.
booze—and the misuse of it—provides a critical early ele- On a Boy Scout trip to the San Gabriel Mountains, he sees
ment to this riveting tale of dysfunctional family strife, skiers for the first time and a few weeks later buys his first
personal discovery, and the infancy and ongoing growth of set of skis for $2. on demand
skiing in America. These early chapters of Miller’s first experiences on snow,
Miller was born in 1924 in Hollywood, Calif. His par- while trying to navigate around the alcoholism that plagues
ents and two older sisters had already established a family his life at home, provide some of the most gripping copy I’ve
unit that seemed to neither need nor notice him. His father, read all year. It reminded me of Daniel James Brown’s
Albert, enjoyed a brief career as a radio actor, playing the protagonist Joe Rantz, an abandoned boy who finds his own
part of “Cy Toosie,” a tight-fisted Yankee shopkeeper. That self-worth in the best-selling nonfiction book, The Boys in the latest technology + high quality snow
ended with the stock market crash of 1929. After a brief Boat. It also helps to keep you rooting for Miller despite the We know that time is important. On your phone,
attempt at returning a deserted country club to its glory many mistakes he confesses to making with his family and Snow
days, Miller’s father never worked again, instead focusing on his business later in life. computer or manually, SMI is proud to bring the Makers
cigarettes and whiskey, and only paying attention to Warren Before joining the Navy, where he served on a sub-chaser latest technology and highest quality snow to our S N O W M A K E R S . C O MN O W M A K E R S . C O M T M
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“when I annoyed him.” that sank in a typhoon during WWII, Miller’s artistic talent snow machines, inc.
The family moved often and rarely had enough and dry, satirical style began to take shape in the self-pub- customers when and where they need it. 1512 north rockwell Dr.
to eat. If it weren’t for peanut butter, Miller writes, he lished The Navy Goes to College, a book of cartoons. He sold Learn more at snowmakers.com Midland, Mi 48642
might’ve died of malnutrition. Only after his mother, each copy for $2, and netted $800 from his sales. He would +1.989.631.6091
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62 | NSAA JOURNAL | SPRING 2017