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and profits of his movies, as well as a short-lived stint as a ski death of his first wife, Jean, and his wife today, Laurie—
bootlace mogul, Miller provides a nearly clinical financial with whom he has been with for nearly 30 years—Miller’s
accounting of each venture. explanations of family embezzlement, alleged adultery,
For anyone who has ever lived as a ski bum, it’s enlight- and absentee parenting can be unsatisfyingly abrupt. As a
ening to share the “math” of what it takes to stay on the reader this could be frustrating, especially in some of the
snow. Particularly as Miller and his longtime buddy Ward passages where Miller calls out a former colleague or fam-
Baker embark on a kind of magical mystery tour of the ily member in a way that he never would have, and cer-
emerging jewels of US skiing, living on the mallards and tainly didn’t, in the moment.
rabbits they shoot along the way as they sleep in a trailer first That these chapters, as well a long list of achievements in
at Alta, and for the rest of the winter at Sun Valley—some- boating and real estate at the end of the book, remain emi-
thing it’s hard to imagine even the most diehard of ski bums nently readable is a testament to Miller’s well-honed story-
doing even now. telling style. As well, I’m sure, to Bigford’s edit. A lifelong
Equally fascinating are the cameos and chapters con- fan of Miller’s movies, I came away with a renewed appreci-
cerning other giants of the industry. Throughout, the ation of the man himself, and also for all he did to pioneer
likes of Emile Allais, Jean-Claude Killy, Dave McCoy, and the promotion of this sport. Maybe someone should make a
many others take a bow. In one chapter, Klaus Obermeyer, movie about the book.
who started his apparel empire selling Austrian “Koogie
Ties,” memorably accompanies Miller on a barnstorming Peter Kray is a freelance writer who skis, telemarks, and snow-
sales trip to the specialty ski shops of California and the boards out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is the co-founder of the
Pacific Northwest. Gear Institute (gearinstitute.com), a website developed to profes-
Where Miller is not nearly as explicit, or forthcom- sionalize the testing of outdoor equipment, and the author of the
ing, is in affairs of the heart. Other than the harrowing novel The God of Skiing (bit.ly/godofskiing).

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64 | NSAA JOURNAL | SPRING 2017