Chasing Shadows, WM Film Review

“There is something that is just extrinsically fun about sliding down a mountain…” seemed to be what brought together the 2,000+ people that packed into Mortensen Hall at Bushnell Theaters, downtown Hartford this weekend for a showing of this year’s Warren Miller film-Chasing Shadows. If last years film showed how the sport has evolved in the past hundred years, this years filmed showcased the people who are driving that evolution. The film brought us along for the journey as some of the biggest names in our skiing history chased their own shadows in Nepal, Switzerland, Japan, Alaska, France, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Chile, Italy and Alaska.

Of course, I couldn’t help but laugh as Chris Anthony competed in the Cowboy Downhill in Steamboat Springs, CO (been there-done that), cheer as home-mountain skier Hannah Kearney got her feature in the film, or gasp as Lexi duPont dropped down a face in Valdez, but as great as all of the big shots, deep power and general skiing eye-candy was, the best part about the evening was being jostled about in the gathering hall, listening to the cries of vendors, filling out raffle cards, and being surrounded by skiers in flannel drinking beer during intermission. It doesn’t get more Warren Miller than that, and I can not wait until the season starts.

And who knows? If monoskiers got a spot in the playbill this year…maybe telemark skiers will next year.