TR- Charlotte Showings of 2015 Warren Miller Film

[WVULINK]

Not sure this qualifies as a "trip report" but since no ski areas around here are open I figure this is close as I can get for a trip report right now. Went to the Warren Miller film "Chasing Shadows" last night at the Studio Movie Grill at the EpiCenter in uptown Charlotte. They had two showings last night hosted by the Charlotte Ski & Snowboard Club. I went two years ago to the event and a had a good time. Last year I went to the Charlotte showing of the TGR ski film at Heist Brewery but didn't enjoy the film or viewing environment as much as seeing a Warren Miller ski film on the big screen. Parking near the EpiCenter was a pain last night due to the Hornets vs Golden State game at TWC Arena, but aside from that I had a great evening. Several local vendors were set up with raffles and freebies (Alpine Ski, Snow Country Ski, Sun & Ski, etc). Red Bull reps were giving out free samples which was a nice new touch that I liked. Plus everyone who attended the film got a voucher for a free weekday lift ticket at Beech Mtn. Spoke to a few people who said they attended just for the voucher. The raffled a bunch of giveaways during the intermission. I won a a T-Shirt!! Two sizes too small, but I won anyways and had a cool gift to give my teenage daughter.

The Studio Movie Grill is a great place to see a film like this. Nice bar and gathering area outside of the theater to visit with local vendors and talk with other skiers/boarders. Once inside the theater this is a full food/drink menu to order from your seat during the film. I'm usually not crazy about ordering food/drinks and eating a meal during a movie as it can be distracting and noisy, but for a Warren Miller movie that is about the footage and not a plot you have to follow, it is great option. I had endless 1-topping pizza and 24 oz beer for $15. Heck I almost spend that much on popcorn, candy, and soda at a traditional theater.

As for the film, its the Warren Miller brand. What else more can I say? Amazing cinematography and skiing/boarding. Just what you expect. Lots of big mountain footage from Valdez, Alaska, Chamonix, the Swiss Alps, Nepal, Chile. As awesome as the big mountain skiing was, I also really liked some of the other segments. One on the U.S. freestyle team, one on the Cowboy Skiing Rodeo at Steamboat (which was freaking hilarious), and one on a Mono-Ski only event in Wyoming. Also had a good story about two boarders who went to Nepal to ski the Himalayas , but their boards got lost in transit, so they had some amazing footage of them exploring Nepal and finding fun while killing the days until their boards finally arrived. Another cool story of two boarders who got stuck at a mountain resort in Chile in August, when 19 FEET of snow fell. Best quotes of the movie were the Chilean resort workers who "supposedly" said "Watch out for those Warren Miller guys....they are crazy" and "those guys steal our powder and our women!". I also enjoyed the very end of the movie where two Alaskan skiers recreated the "Dumb & Dumber" scene where Harry & Loyd turn down the offer to help the bus full of Hawaiian Tropic girls. But instead of a bus full of bikini models, it was a RV with female skiers who were going to ski the mountains near Valdez, AK. It was a corny rip-off, but it made me laugh.

Thanks to Charlotte Si & Snowboard for hosting this awesome event. I am now stoked for the season to begin and get out on the slopes. I definitely will be back for the next WM film next year.

[swamphox]

Spunds fun. While their movies are full amazing footage it seems like their movies along with the industry as a whole are getting further and further away from the common mans travel budget. Who can actually afford to heliski while having the skill level to not get killed on that sort of terrain? Pro athletes?

[spydeeTJB]

Charlotte Ski & Board club? How many members belong do ya think? Seems like many would be active on this board. Maybe their charter doesn't allow.

[OldSchool]

Charlotte Ski & Board club? How many members belong do ya think? Seems like many would be active on this board. Maybe their charter doesn't allow.

Most people I talk to that race, when sharing a lift ride or the love of skiing with a cold beer.. have never herd of SkiNC.. or Ski Southeast.. its not represented at all in the ski club or racing crowds..


There are a lot of members in the Charlotte club.. It is one of the biggest around.. There are a lot of clubs in the southeast.. Its funny that ski southeast and Mike D have never reached out to the "Crescent Ski Council" and its 20+ ski clubs in the southeast to cross promote this site and the sport of skiing...Hell just the ski racer's alone from crescent spend an average of a thousand per racer, or family every time they race in the Boone and high country area...Hundreds of die hard folks racing 5 or 6 race weekends on lodging lefties, food and having good times.. it adds up.

If your in the Upstate SC area check out the

"Palmetto Ski and Outing Club"

http://www.psoc.org/...

And check out the "Crescent Ski Council " for info and links to all of the southeast ski clubs..

http://www.crescentskicouncil.org/


Cheers!

[Once/year]

For the past few years, ive been digging tgr and matchstick quite a bit more than the warren miller flicks. But chasing shadows was the best ive seen this year. Very cool adventures--esp enjoyed the female segment, the ladies absolutely RIPPED. maybe not harder than that angel collinson line in paradise waits--thatll go down as alltime--but doing a whole segment with the ladies reminded me that skiing is uniquely not a sport with inherent sexism.

As for who can actually afford to do the trips in the warren miller flicks: i cant get all onboard with that comment. I want to see that stuff in my ski porn--watching stuff people can afford doesnt get me all fired up the way chamonix speed-flying does.

[marzski]

Charlotte Ski & Board club? How many members belong do ya think? Seems like many would be active on this board. Maybe their charter doesn't allow.

I was a member of the Raleigh Ski and Outing Club for a year a long time ago. They used to sponsor the Warren Miller flick in Raleigh. Now they co-sponsor but the Duke Ski & Board Team does all the work. My sense is that folks who ski mostly with a ski club have less reason to spend time on an online ski forum. They have enough friends to carpool with, or ask for advice about gear, and they can join the club trips to go out west that are pretty good deals.

[marzski]

The showing in Durham had a few lift tickets from Sugar as raffle prizes. Plenty of the new Sugar trailmap/booklets to go around.

Did the Charlotte crowd also get the voucher for a free lift ticket at Sugarbush?

[yardsale]

weird that they don't bother to spread word about this stuff