Heading into another winter season, nothing gets the stoke going for snow-riding enthusiasts like a new Warren Miller skiing movie. Such is the case with “Off the Grid,” Warren Miller’s 57th annual powder-packed feature film production that will be playing Dec. 1-2 at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s (MCASD) Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St. There is one show on Friday at 8 p.m. and two on Saturday, 6 and 9 p.m.
Featuring fearless, hard-charging skiers and snowboarders at spectacular locations around the world, “Off the Grid” was filmed in high-definition, making the insane vertical drops off mountaintops and racing avalanches all the more breathtaking.
Travel takes the viewer to Girdwood, Alaska; Disentis, Switzerland; Golden, British Columbia, Canada; and Krippenstein, Austria, along with rugged locations in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
The film is loaded with world-class skiing and boarding talent, including Chris Elby, Peter Olenick, Lynsey Dyer, Toby Dawson, Nicky Wievig and Julien Haricot, to name just a few. Highlights are many.
T.J. Schiller lands the first-ever switch 1440 (entering a competitive jump backwards and rotating four times) at the U.S. Freeskiing Open at Vail, Colo.
Kevin Bramble, a sit-down skier, and Monte Meier, a one-legged skier, become the first ever adaptive skiers to tackle remote helicopter zones in Cordova, Alaska.
Snowboarders Frederick Kalbermatten and Mads Johnson utilize hand-held cameras to give viewers the feeling of being there while plunging down steep drops and slashing across virgin powder fields. Skier Jaime Pierre launches over a 245-foot snowy cliff and sets a new world record in the process. Oh, and he did live to tell about it!
Adding to the adventurous appeal of the movie is an exotic trip to Kashmir, India, where a trio of skiers immerse themselves in the unique culture of Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir, and experience incredible foreign beauty while carving through the local mountains.
Hokkaido, Japan is also featured in the wild and crazy World Snowball Fighting Championships with some fierce action utilizing hard-packed snowballs. Definitely not for the wimpy type!
“Off The Grid” is narrated by Jeremy Bloom, an Olympic mogul skier turned NFL football player who offers insight into his unusual change of sporting competition. The film’s soundtrack is a pleasing blend of different artists that pumps up the crowd to get out and drive to the nearest ski slopes.
Showings of Miller’s “Off the Grid” will include a free voucher good for one skiing lift ticket per person at Heavenly Valley, Lake Tahoe, valid from opening day of the 2006-’07 season (with some restrictions) through Jan. 12, 2007, plus other free goodies.
Admission is $18. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, Sports Chalet stores in La Jolla, Point Loma and Mission Valley, and at the MCASD Sherwood Auditorium box office.
For more information on “Off the Grid,” visit www.warrenmiller.com.
