This Week in Washington

It’s been a big ski-news week in Washington.
 

First and foremost, the world of skiing and really all things snow sports-related lost an industry icon, as legendary filmmaker Warren Miller passed away at his home in Washington’s Orcas Island at the age of 93. Miller and his subsequent production company Warren Miller Entertainment (based out of Boulder, Colorado) spent over 50 years bringing the world of skiing to life on film, and introducing the world’s most far flung ski locales (and a who’s who of skiers and snowboarders from nearly every era) to the mainstream. He first filmed skiing in 1944 on a borrowed camera, going on to direct and narrate 55 films over the course of his career, while introducing the public to the ski bum lifestyle in the process. While he stepped away from directing ski films in 2014, his production company is still putting out theater-filling flicks, with “Line of Descent” being the newest to drop this fall. The world will surely miss him.

It was also a big weather week in Washington, as mainland Washington (specifically powder epicenter Mt. Baker) has been getting hammered by snow. In fact, the world’s single-season snowfall record holder was hit was 12 feet of snow over the last week, only to be temporarily closed on Monday (January 29) because of freezing rain. (If you’re reading this from Whistler, you’ve likely also have been enjoying some serious powder days for the last week). And Washington (and the Pacific Northwest at large) is expecting even more snow, too, with snow (and a slushy mix of precipitation) expected at Mt. Baker every day throughout the rest of the week.
The ski world may have lost a legend, but with Warren Miller’s home state in the midst of an epic storm cycle, we can’t help but think there’s no better way to honor his legacy than ripping some pow.