Ski-film maven Warren Miller focuses his ever-sharp viewfinder as well as his oddball sense of humor on exotic locales and characters in this look at how liberation can be achieved while fearlessly hurtling down impossibly steep mountains. Mixing a well-chosen rock music soundtrack with magnificent action footage, Freeriders opens in Chile, where skiers rocket across 12 feet of perfect snow on the Fourth of July. Moving to Stowe, Vermont, for a "big air" contest, some of the world's best mogul skiers sail upward in what appears on film to be an elegantly choreographed aerial ballet. There is even some discussion of "old school" versus "new school" extreme skiing, but the emphasis is on fun and humor. A trip to Norway features some classic deadpan comedy concerning the ubiquity of fish on the menu as well as awesome and alarming footage of skiing in bright sun at 3 a.m., where a single mistake could send you sailing off a 7,000 foot mountain and into a fjord. The serious pursuit of speed is visited by folks who tape Styrofoam to their legs to streamline themselves, hitting speeds of 150 miles per hour on skis. This video is consistently entertaining, and even those who have never strapped on a pair of skis could find it fascinating.
Veteran ski filmmaker Warren Miller continues his perfection of the "freedom-oriented sports saga." He documents top-notch skiers and snowboarders (including Gold Medallists Johhny Mosely and Eric Bergoust) conquering breathtakingly scenic runs in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Portillo, Chile; and the Arctic Circle in Tromzel, Norway. Music by the Dave Matthews Band, Semisonic, Counting Crows and more.
