BY KAREN BOSSICK
Ketchum photographer John Plummer’s new movie “Return to Paradise—A Skier’s Journey’’ will be shown free of charge at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Wood River YMCA in Ketchum.
The inspirational film stars former champion freestyle skier Mike Vowels, charting his triumphant return to skiing 28 years after a paralyzing ski accident in 1985.
Vowels couldn’t miss as an acrobatic skier, winning one ski contest after another with his dazzling Daffy’s, helicopters, flips and twists. But he hit a tree at Alpental ski hill near Seattle, going down a tight chute in 1985. And he was paralyzed from the waist down.
It was a reunion of his old skiing buddies at Sun Valley Resort that prompted him to get back on the snow. He trained for it, learning to ski in a mono ski. And, when they met up, they skied from top to bottom in a triumphant moment for Vowels. And at night they sat in front of the fireplace and told stories.
Vowels will be in attendance and field questions following the film.
The film is presented by the Wood River Community YMCA with the support of the Roy A. Hunt Foundation.