Huckmeister Extraordinaire: Jamie Pierre
November 21, 2007
On the morning of Jan. 25, 2006, skier Jamie Pierre leaped off the largest cliff ever skied, a 25-story abyss on the backside of Fred’s Mountain at Wyoming’s Grand Targhee Resort. Pierre fell more than 250 feet through the air, spinning, skis flipped to the sky, plummeting upside down. A dozen cameramen were on-site to record what would be the highest ski jump of all time … or Pierre’s final moments.
After landing, a long moment passed. A snow cloud settled below the immense rock wall. An impact crater scarred an otherwise immaculate expanse of snow, but Pierre’s body was nowhere in sight.
What does it take to leap a 255-foot cliff on skis — and live? Ask Jamie Pierre, a Minnesota-born extreme skier who I profiled in a story for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Go here to see a video of Pierre’s leap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0SDQcm0VcU
Great point. Other than the 50-foot run-in, there was no reason he even had to have skis on for this stunt. His plan was to land flat on his back, just as if he was flopping down in a Laz-e-Boy chair. That’s how he explained it to me. But he over-rotated, and thus the head-plant. According to Pierre and other cliff huckers, you cannot usually land on your skis for cliffs over about 100 feet, as you’ll likely get bashed with knees to forehead or worse. Landing on your back is accepted as a clean landing in many ski circles.
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Crazy. Big props to Jamie.
However, did he really ski it? I mean he technically didn’t land it. He cratered. Maybe I don’t understand the rules of what makes something the ‘highest ski jump’. Is it because he had skis on and jumped off a cliff it is ‘skiing’? (personally I think it would have been cooler had he just jumped off with no skis.)