Annecy, France — Longtime Salomon athlete and free-skiing pioneer Mike Douglas says he never expected to make it as a pro skier, and he certainly never expected to still be doing it at age 47. As founder of Switchback Entertainment, he may now be an accomplished filmmaker, but the guy they call "The Godfather of Free-skiing" says he has too much fun skiing to let age slow him down. It's that notion that led to the making of SalomonTV's premiere episode for the 2017-2018 winter season, Fountain of Youth.
"At 47, the realities of aging start catching up with you," Douglas says. "On my birthday last year, I looked around and realized I didn't know anyone doing the type of skiing I was doing professionally, who is older than me. It made me wonder how much longer I could keep it up without having any more mentors to follow."
Looking into the science of longevity led Douglas to Japan, a place that is home to more than 10 million skiers and "of the major industrialized countries, it's the one where people live the longest," he says. "But I have to admit, in the beginning there was a part of me just looking for any excuse to go ski powder in Japan."
Fountain of Youth focuses on Douglas' time with the Miuras, a revered sports family of Japan. Yuichiro Miura, who recently climbed Mt. Everest at age 80, and his son Gota set aside time last March to share what they've learned about aging, and Douglas says it was a revelation.
"What I learned completely changed what I believed to be the secrets to longevity," Douglas says. "Most research is based around the idea of simply living longer and not necessarily the quality of life along the way, but there are things I learned on this trip that will stick with me and help guide the rest of my life."
Of course, like any SalomonTV winter opener, the episode also features enough powder skiing to get viewers amped for the coming winter season. It stars Salomon athletes and Douglas' fellow Whistler residents Stan Rey and Alexi Godbout. Douglas, of course, proves once again that he still has what it takes to keep up with the younger generation who grew up watching him.
Fans of SalomonTV can view Fountain of Youth in early October at Salomon.com/TV and watch for more episodes of SalomonTV this winter.