Freeriders

Inveterate ski enthusiast and chronicler Warren Miller cranks out another 90 minutes of some of the most exciting skiing anywhere in "Freeriders" 1998. On the upside, the film transports the viewer to the best slopes in the Western hemisphere where the camera captures the numbing excesses of hotdogging skiers, snow boarders, and people going downhill on everything from shovels to kayaks. On the downside, "Freeriders" tends to put the best possible face on a brutal, body breaking sport as it treats the pristine beauty of virgin powder with reverence while ignoring the wonders of the human body which the sport puts in constant jeopardy. This film will be a visual feast for skiers and wannabees even though it is not a realistic documentary on X-treme skiing and boarding.