Miller film has locals anticipating ski season

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Ironwood - If the recent snow wasn't an indication that ski season on the Gogebic Range was just around the corner, the Ironwood premiere of Warren Miller's latest film "Chasing Shadows" at the Historic Ironwood Theatre Saturday surely reminded residents of the season's arrival.

"You heard at the end of (the film), 'winter starts now,'" said Dan Tregembo, who helped bring the film to Ironwood, referencing the fact that the release of Miller's films frequently signal the start of the ski season in some parts of the country.

Miller's 66th feature film, "Chasing Shadows," follows a variety of skiers, snowboarders and other athletes as they chase thrills on mountains around the world.

Using talking-head interviews, as well as a mixture of GoPro and traditional footage set to a soundtrack of voice-overs and music; the film went to a variety of locations including Alaska, Chamonix and Mont Blanc in France and the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas in Nepal. Each location generally featured a different form of alpine sports. That included heli-skiing, where skiers access the top of mountains by helicopter and ski down; ski gliding, a combination of skiing and paragliding; and freestyle-mogul skiing, where competitors travel down a mogul course and are judged on technique, speed and aerial tricks.

The at-times raucous crowd shrieked and hollered along with the film as it showed the thrill-seekers soar over crevasses and cliffs or perform spins and flips.

A fundraiser for the Snow Country Ski Club - the ski team formed after the Ironwood Area Schools ceased funding the Ski Devils ski team - between 390 and 400 people bought tickets to the event, according to Bruce Greenhill, the theatre's managing director.

Greenhill also said he was pleased to see a different crowd from the theatre's regular patrons.

"It was good crowd. (I'm) very pleased (with the turnout,)" Greenhill said, "and it's great to see a younger crowd in here too ... and a lot of people we've never seen in before, a lot of first timers."

Greenhill said the younger crowd purchased a lot more tickets online and hopes to capture some of the audience for future events.

He noted the fundraising aspect of the film likely played a part in the turnout.

"The best thing though, is just being part of supporting the ski club and that's what it was really all about," Greenhill said, "and for us to host an event where people enjoyed themselves but also contributed significantly to supporting high-school skiers at three local schools."

The ski club was also pleased with the turnout.

"It was everything we wanted in the first year we wanted in the first year," said Tregembo. "We kind of committed to a three-year process on this, you know, (we're) going to build on it and build on it and kind of assess in three years."

"We were expecting a little bit lower number and we were pleasantly surprised with the turnout," said ski club President Kevin McCullough, adding he had hoped to draw 300 people.

Tregembo said it was nice to see the community unite behind a purpose.

"A good thing for a good cause ... you saw all the ski hills, all the ski shops, all kind of heading in the same direction," he said, referencing the social event before the show featuring a number of vendors.

"It's surpassed any fundraiser we've ever done," said McCullough.

The team - a co-op between Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco schools - is open to high schools students, although McCullough said middle school kids can practice and participate in the team but not formally compete.

He suggested those interested contact their respective schools.

With the area having a three year commitment to show the films, Greenhill said the theatre will promote the upcoming films to a broader regional audience to try and generate an even larger attendance in the future.