Warren Miller's "Children of Winter" REVIEWED

Published October 3, 2008 06:45PM

employees last night, officially ushering the start to the 2008-2009 ski season.

shows simply what we all feel when we see that first snow flake and temperatures start to drop: childish, unadulterated excitement.

The film journeys through several locations from Okemo to Silverton to Iceland to Japan, stopping and focusing on the small parts of this sport that we all appreciate. A segment in Vermont includes members of the band Yukon Kornelius learning how to snowboard and then rocking out with Jason Biggs and Dee Snyder on stage. A scene in Iceland showcases a new “bro-mance” between three phenomenol athletes and how swimming in Scandinavia might not always include tons of coverage, but will include a miniature viking helmet. And a scene with Wendy Fisher in Crested Butte demonstrates how a ski-legend can balance babies on her hip then shred big-mountain lines.

The film is just fantastic. A real sense of excitement is held throughout each segment with a killer soundtrack and amazing editing, provided by the Schneider family. The music consists of all A bands with singles you definitely have heard on the radio and lost treasures that typically don’t see a lot of play. Bands range from Michael Franti and Spearhead to Radiohead to Cream to Mason Jennings. Genres like country, rap, folk, and rock aren’t left out, but showcased in a way that anyone can relate to. After each section, the viewer is unavoidably left with a feeling of “Oh, I gotta try that this season.”

The 2007-2008 season was epic, and with 400+ inch snowfalls here, new resorts there,

was bound to be a masterpiece. But the folks at Warren Miller have gone above and beyond the amazing situations they were dealt — they created a movie with so much heart and so much passion for the sport that even non-skiers will want to slap on some boards and try their hand at skiing or snowboarding. They truly love what they do (can you blame ’em?) and anything with that much passion is infectious.

The film tour will start making its rounds in the next two weeks. If you want to start your season right and get that itch to ski, please check out