Bode Miller in Beaver Creek to talk about mental health during Birds of Prey World Cup
“Paradise Paradox” explores mental health issues and what Eagle County is doing about them

Podium Pictures/Courtesy photo
Former U.S. Alpine Ski Team member and Olympic medalist Bode Miller was in town this week, not to race, but to share an important message about mental health through his documentary, “Paradise Paradox,” which came out in late 2023. The film focuses on behavioral and mental health issues that mountain resort communities face and what solutions are starting to emerge to help those in crisis.
Miller, along with co-executive producer of “Paradise Paradox” and Emmy award-winner Brett Rapkin were at the Grand Hyatt Vail for a free screening put on by the Vail Valley Foundation. Miller recently moved from Big Ski to Park City with his wife and six kids. His wife, Morgan Beck, is getting back into playing professional volleyball in Salt Lake City.
“I think films like this and the effort that not only our team put in, but all the people who have come to the screenings all play a role in that shift that we can make with bettering mental health,” Miller said in a Q and A session that he and Rapkin held after the screening. “I want to thank you guys for being here because I think this is what moves the needle there. It’s like ideas that have never been done before needed to be brought to reality to solve this.”
Rapkin, who met Miller back he was filming a weekly show with Miller during the 2005-2006 World Cup tour in Europe called “Bode on the Bus.” Rapkin went on to do “Weight of Gold,” an HBO film that explores Olympians and mental health and featured Miller, Apollo Ono, Shawn White and Michael Phelps even came on as an executive producer.
“That film was released in 2020 during one of the peaks of COVID when they were supposed to be holding the Tokyo Olympics. And it was a time when people really needed to hear the message of it’s okay not to be okay, the anti-stigma of it all,” Rapkin said.

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From there, Rapkin asked Miller to work with him on a new idea for a film that spotlighted mental health in ski towns and Miller agreed to, on one condition.
“I told Brett I’d be happy to work with him on it, but I really want to make sure it’s as much about solutions as it is about the problem,” Miller said.
The film features several ski resorts including Mammoth Mountain, Deer Valley and Winter Park, and shines a light on what the Eagle County communities are doing to help support the mental health crisis. Alterra Ski Corporation was also prominently featured for their innovative programs they are rolling out at their ski areas.
“The topic, I think, was critical to address and the way I view all this stuff is holistically,” Miller said. “I believe there are synergies that happen in culture where you need to have each person who can or has the ambition or has the ability to pull their weight and then the outcomes often aren’t really anything you could have anticipated at the beginning. It’s a cumulative effect that moves the needle.”
Rapkin said that free screenings are available to anyone who inquires, and more screenings have been set up this winter in mountain towns and beyond.
“I know that other communities want the blueprint, and even if it’s not all of the things or there’s things that they all can start to do,” Rapkin said. “So that’s what I’ve been thinking a lot about is whether it’s having a summit or kind of a hybrid, virtual, in-person thing and just give everybody the chance to get the download so that they can try to make at least some of the pieces happen. We really hope this film creates change.”