15 November 2011 - 19:56 Professional skier Jamie Pierre dies in an avalanche accident at Snowbird
Professional skier Jamie Pierre was killed in an avalanche accident today (November 13, 2011) at Snowbird, Utah. Pierre was snowboarding with a friend in the resort’s South Chute area—though Snowbird is not yet open for the season—when he triggered the avalanche, according to officials with the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC).
Pierre, according to a preliminary report from the UAC, “was carried hundreds of feet through steep rocky terrain and reportedly went over a small cliff band and came to a stop only partially buried.” The accident was reported to authorities at 3:15 p.m. Sunday. Pierre was 38 years old.
At least four other avalanches involving skiers/snowboarders ran today in Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, according to the UAC. Alta, which is also not yet open for the season, has since closed to uphill traffic, the Utah Avalanche Center also reported on its Twitter account today.
A longtime fixture of the skiing scene, Pierre over the years filmed with Teton Gravity Research, Rage Films and Warren Miller Entertainment, and was renowned for his “go-for-broke” cliff hucking. He was the first skier to hit Little Cottonwood Canyon’s infamous Pyramid Gap, in May 1999, but he may be best known for his 255-foot cliff drop in the backcountry of Grand Targhee.
VIDEO: Skiing Cliff Jump with Jamie Pierre (GoPro HD)
“He was a good dude,” Lee Cohen, a Powder senior photographer who lives at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon, said by phone tonight. In a Facebook post, Cohen added, “A great person, a little misunderstood at times, but anyone who knew him knows he had a heart of gold.”
Pierre, who counted Snowbird among his sponsors, had recently relocated to Big Sky, Montana.
The Powder staff sends their condolences to the friends and family of Jamie Pierre.
By Tim Mutrie and Mike Rogge Powder Magazine www.powder.com November 13, 2011
Jamie Pierre – Daredevil And Pro Free Skier Extraordinaire
Those who enjoy watching Western movies can conjure up the image of a cowboy slowly walking into vision, wearing larger than life boots and an attitude to match the ensemble. In the skiing domain, Jamie Pierre could be referred to as the cowboy of the snow slopes. However, instead of spotting cowboy boots and Western buckle belts, Pierre can be spotted on skis pulling off a dare devil cliff jumps or ground breaking powder turns. Only the most mesmerizing ski moves can be expected from this pro free skier who began taking the slopes when he was 10 years old.
Early years
Jamie Pierre had his first mountain skiing experience in 1989, at Gunnison Colorado. The spring break vacation could have just launched his career as a professional skier. He spent the week skiing on Mt. Butte, and the experience was very addictive because he kept going back every spring break up until 1991 when he graduated from high school.
It totally made sense when he moved to Colorado: he had access to the Crested Butte as often as he wanted. The 11th of January 1993 was an important date for Pierre, because it was the first time he skied in Snowbird Utah. Likewise, the experience dirved him to move Utah where he launched his career as a professional skier.
Jamie Pierre’s Ground Breaking Achievements
Jamie Pierre has made a number of notable skiing achievements in the course of his career.
In 2006 Pierre set a world record for the longest cliff jump, when he covered an amazing 255 foot jump. In Hannes Alaska, he made an incredible First Descent on Mt Emmerich’s North East Couloir; also known as The Cathedral Peaks.
Jamie Pierre has also made appearances in several ski related movies, amongst them:
From 1999 to 2001 Jamie appeared in Wind up Films sports related films. In 2002 he appeared in the Level 1 Productions film “Strike Three”. In 2004 he made an appearance in the Matchstick ski film “Focused”. In 2005 he made appearance in 2 of Big Bang Productions films “The Waiting Game” and “RUSH TV The NOMADS”. Between 2001 and 2008 he appeared in eight of Rage Films/Team Thirteen films. These were just a few of the ski related films that Jamie Pierre has appeared in but he has also made several appearances in print publications. Some of the notable ones include:
2006, The World Record Interview by BBC 2006, Top 10 Events of 2006 by ESPN Magazine 2007-08, Grand Targhee Resort by Jackson Hole Skier 2008, Next Best Places by Ski Magazine
Dare Devil Stunts Gone Bad
Just like every stunts professional, Jamie Pierre had a recent brush with death when trying to pull off one of his incredible ski jumps. The pro skier fell head first, from a 250 foot cliff edge and walked off to tell the tale. The pro skier was lucky to be pulled out of a 6 foot bomb hole, by his photographer, unscathed. His photographer was also able to capture the death-defying fall which is currently the rage around the skiing world.
Personal life
Sorry ladies, Jamie Pierre is happily married, and has two lovely children who might just take after their father’s footsteps.
The “King of Big Air”, as he is referred to, definitely has nine lives and we are all waiting for his next breaking achievement in the skiing field.
Ortwin Oberhauser Zuers am Arlberg zuers-am-arlberg.com August 22nd, 2011
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