The Unfortunate Risks
Injury and death is a fact and reality many of us do not want to face when it comes the sports and lifestyle we chose to participate in. As the years pass, and the “ante” is continuously increased, our friends fall. This is a factor I accept, but find hard to deal with. I sit back and think of the greats we have lost and how they have affected me in life’s journeys: Shane McConkey, Ryan Hawks, Doug Coombs, Billy Poole, Arne Backstrom, Craig Kelly,, Eli Thompson, Trevor Peterson, Jack Hannan, Frank Gambalie, Duane Weston, Tobias Lee, John Nicoletta and the lists seems to continuously grow.
Recently, another freeskiing brother was lost due to an early-season avalanche accident right here in Utah. Jamie Pierre was a one-of-a-kind person, an outstanding skier and athlete, amazing family man, and a gold-hearted ambassador to the sport we all love so greatly. I will miss the days skiing with him in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and will miss his friendship, but I will look upon the standout memories I had with him…
From the day he first hit the “Wolverine Cirque 165-foot cliff” with TGR’s cinematographer, Pete Obrien, Andy Woods, and myself looking on, to the mad dash across the High Traverse at Alta with his racing to fresh tracks, to the arguments we had over who got our LibTech NAS’s first. I will cherish all those minutes had together and I know he will be looking over all of us. Rest in Peace Jamie.
I still tip my hat to your achievements at Grand Targhee, Wyoming years back when you took the World Record title at 255 feet.
