You "screwed up my life," were his opening words at the podium, because, he said, this is what so many people have told him over the years.

He went on to talk about "our instinctive search for freedom" and the films he made over the years that showed the freedom that mountains and skiing and boarding offered. The three generations of winter sports enthusiasts present at the Toast to Tahoe Skiing celebration to benefit the Palisades Tahoe Institute, roared with approval.

"Our bodies are round...and this room is square! This is not freedom," he said. "That's freedom," he implied, and he gestured over his shoulder to the huge-screen videos of skiing and boarding behind him.

Miller told of his job at Palisades Tahoe in 1949. "That first winter we had one hotel with room for 42 people, and we had a ski school with four instructors. I was one of them. Each of us had about one student per day."

The host for the event at the Resort as Squaw Creek went on to talk about the changes he has seen in skiing over the last 56 years, including advances in skis, boots, lifts, and ski clothing. His presentation was followed by a fashion show featuring clothes from local retailers worn by many skiing personalities from the Tahoe-Truckee region. The evening ended with an auction and many happy people.

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