Skiers Hard at 'Work' in New Warren Miller Film

Chad Dryden - Knight Ridder

New Warren Miller Film Shows Elite Skiers and Snowboarders Hard at 'Work'

The annual Warren Miller film is something like a pep rally for the upcoming ski and snowboard season.

Shown in movie theaters to enthusiastic audiences nationwide each fall, it is a capital-E Event, one whose ability to excite powder hounds about hitting the slopes has few - if any - rivals.

The aptly titled "Playground," Miller's 58th feature film, shows some of the world's premier skiers and snowboarders (including Ketchum brothers Zach and Reggie Crist) hard at "work" during competitions and envy-inducing backcountry treks in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Japan and elsewhere.

The film, presented in high definition, has much of what Warren Miller fans have come to expect - the high-energy pacing, the jaw-dropping stunts, the winter wonderland splendor - but also a few surprises.

Like camels, for one. Skiers Austin Ross and Andreas Hatveit ride the exotic animals during their unlikely ski trip to the United Arab Emirates.

That's right, the United Arab Emirates: Ross and Hatveit take runs at Ski Dubai, an indoor hill located in a mall in the middle of the Arabian Desert. It's one of the wildest segments in the film, and there's not a speck of natural snow to be found.

Another surprise - and one sure to perk the ears of ski racing fans - is an interview with Bode Miller.

Far from revelatory, the interview distances the Olympic gold medalist from his controversial career by largely avoiding the topic.

Instead, the footage of Miller skiing in Alaska shows an athlete alone in his element exploring a true passion. It may not be what fans would hope for, but in the context of the film, the approach is ultimately more effective than another rehash of Miller's headline-making exploits.

As much as "Playground" delivers on the adrenaline rush Warren Miller devotees have come to expect - the fearlessness of Japanese snowboarder Kazu Kokubo is particularly memorable - it includes welcome breaks from the extreme to showcase the lighter side of winter sports.

Brigham Young's Water Weenie Squad - a group of nutty students who do jumps on a 70-pound inflatable sled while squirting ketchup and mustard all over the place - demonstrates its humorous - and sometimes painful - antics on the slopes.

Skiers Dan Treadway and Eric Pehota, meanwhile, go head-to-head in their own redneck competitions in the backcountry of Whistler, British Columbia, while Brooks and Dunn's "Hillbilly Deluxe" plays on the soundtrack.

The end product is another well rounded, entertaining film from the Warren Miller camp, one sure to leave you eager to get to your own playground this winter.

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Copyright 2012 by Knight Ridder