‘Winter Starts Now,’ the 72nd annual ski and snowboard film from Warren Miller Entertainment comes to a theater near you between October 20 and December 30. Find local show times, and get free tickets, premium seating, and more by joining Outside+ today.

 

As our video chat begins, I immediately lower the brightness of my screen. It’s not because of some type of laptop malfunction, but because the smile protruding from the other side is so delightfully bright. Jayna Davis, 14, is sitting in her dorm room at the Holderness School in New Hampshire, a preparatory school where she can split her time between academics and downhill skiing. 

Originally from Spokane, Wash., Jayna began skiing as soon as she could walk. When her father died unexpectedly when she was 2 years old, her mother, Jane, found herself in the role of single parent. An avid skier herself, the elder Davis was determined to keep her child in the sport, and at 5 years old, Jayna began ski racing.  

Her competitive focus is on three events: Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super Giant Slalom, and she trains year-round under Holderness ski coach Ben Drummond. Also on the Holderness ski team are three other young Black ski racers. Henniyah, Henri, and Helaina Rivers are the triplet children of Henri Rivers, President of the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS).  The four kick-ass downhillers appear in the new Warren Miller film, “Winter Starts Now,” alongside the elder Rivers. The film heads out on national tour later this month.

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