Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis

by Warren Miller, Warren Miller Company (Editor)

In 1956 when the free program I published for the personal appearance showings of my latest ski film needed some written copy, I wrote a story about living in the parking lot at Sun Valley, Idaho for eighteen cents a day during the winter of 1946/47. When the printer got finished setting the type, he had some extra room for another paragraph, so I wrote the "To reserve your copy of Wine, Women, Warren & Skis at the pre-publication discount price of $2.00, mail me a penny postcard with your name and address and, when the book is published, I will mail your copy C.O.D."Six hundred and thirty two people mailed me two dollars! I thought I was rich!The following year, the title of the story in that year's ski film program was "GOOD GRIEF MORE EXCERPTS." That winter 1119 people mailed me their two dollars. During that time I was personally narrating the film in over a hundred different cites, traveling to all of the ski resorts to get the footage for the following winter, editing the film, putting together the musical score, soliciting ski club bookings, writing the script, and sleeping on Greyhound busses more nights than I care to remember.In the spring, when the book had not been written and mailed out, irate customers started to ask for their two dollars back. I had already spent all of their money for film and travel, so late in the summer I sat down at a manual typewriter and without spell check or anyone to correct the punctuation, dangling participles, or politically incorrect statements, I typed, cut, and pasted the book together and then timed the self-publication release date so it would be delivered one week before the first showing of the 1958 film. I knew I could sell the book personally from the theater stage for $2.00 and make a dollar a book profit. I paid the printer on time, and it is now forty-six years and five more books later. So join me back in the Sun Valley parking lot one year before I bought a riverfront lot in nearby Ketchum for $350.00, and pardon any politically incorrect foibles, grammar or punctuation mistakes that are causing my 9th grade English teacher to rollover in her grave.

Genres: History

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Warren Anthony Miller was an American ski and snowboarding filmmaker.

Reviews

[Hannah Burnley]

Such a fun and easy read to get you excited for winter!

[Adam Lucas]

A great book for fans of Warren Miller. If you are familiar with his ski movies and his sense of humor in those movies then you will really enjoy this book. If you are not familiar with him then I could see how the book might come off as a bit disjointed or underwhelming.

It's a great look back at how Warren and Ward got into skiing and a chronicle of their early adventures. You can almost hear Warren's voice when reading his words.

[Toni]

A fun retro memory of skiing in the olden days before it became quite so common or quite so expensive. A lark.

[Jim Sestito]

Warren Miller made ski films what they are today. He lived the ski bum life. He wrote about it in his memoir. It's awesome.

[Jacob Shavel]

A classic American story. Warren's story of his time as the original ski bum is fun, weird, and inspiring. Makes you want to quit your job and hit the road...

[Brian]

Hilariously funny book about a vagabond ski adventure that turned into a legendary film career. Read this almost in one sitting.

[Random]

Great quick read. Enjoyable narrative. I could hear warren millers voice throughout the book. Fun stuff.

[Tony Matthews]

Short and witty.