Jeremy Jones
Name: Jeremy Jones
OK Guys - I know this is crazy, but there are
2! pro-snowboarders named "Jeremy Jones."
Make no mistake, we're talking about the awesome big mountain
charging guy who grew up in New England, lives in Cali, rides for Rossignol
all over the world, and continues to astonish us with his technical
expertise on snowy cliffs. (The other Jeremy Jones is
from Utah and rides for Burton. You usually see pictures of him riding
rails. Both JJıs ride skateboards.)
"Jeremy Jones pushes the limits of big mountain riding to new levels.
When he is not in Jackson riding Teton Pass, he is charging the steepest
slopes in the world. Look for Jeremy in the latest films by Teton Gravity
Research, Standard Films, and Warren Miller and see how exciting it is to
watch him ride.
Jeremy Jones - Voted 10th Toughest Guy in America
In the March 04 issue of the Menıs Journal Magazine, Jeremy Jones took the
Number 10 spot out of the 25 Toughest Guys In America. What makes a Tough
Guy? According to Men?s Journal: perseverance, fearlessness, a high
threshold for pain, and of course, modesty."
From O'Neill's Snowboard Team page at
http://www.oneilleurope.com/team/SNOW/JEREMY_JONES_25.htm
Date of birth 1/14/75
Started riding in what year? 1984
Sponsor/s? Rossignol, OıNeill, Scott, Giro, 661, and Carveboards.
Where did you grow up? New England - Massachusetts, Vermont, and
Maine.
Live now? Truckee, CA
Fave places to ride? All time fave is Alaska, for consistency. Heli-boarding
and regular. l also enjoy checking out new places. In the US: Jackson Hole,
Squaw Valley. In Europe - any mountain with good snow, big, or small, with
the right conditions. Also B.C. where I've ridden 10 different places from
the Alaskan border to the border of Washington state. I could spend a
lifetime in any one.
Why do you like Europe? - No ropes, you [can go out of bounds and]
take responsibility for yourself. There's nobody telling you what you can
and canıt do. It's refreshing. Riders there and in Canada respect the
mountains. They ride in-bounds, or they get educated and ride everywhere.
The general level of European pro snowboarders is more well rounded. They
can make turns between jumps. They can ride the whole mountain. They can
ride [and do tricks on] natural terrain - they donıt need the perfectly
groomed cheese wedge in the park. Itıs more impressive to see guys doing
tech tricks on natural terrain than in a perfectly groomed park.
Do you warm up each day before you ride? Yes. I at least stretch a
little. I try to warm up. Iıll jump around on the top of the run if
necessary. There's not much time to warm up with heli-boarding, so I stretch
before heli, then hike around the peak to get my blood flowing. Some days
thatıs the case because for filming in the mountains, itıs always a
panic to ride before the shade.
At Jackson Hole - on big powder days, you sit on tram for 1.5 hours, then
drop into Corbett's Couloir. I drop in sore and cold, but with the attitude
that if I stick my line the adrenaline will warm me up. If you stick your
first landing it sets you up for the day. If you cartwheel out the bottom it
kind of ruins your day. After filming Iıll do some fun runs.
How keep in shape in season? The best way is snowboarding. Hiking,
lots of hiking. If the ridingıs good Iım out all day and stay in shape that
way. If I find myself stuck in town waiting for weather to clear, Iıll hit
the local gym. I travel with a physio ball (deflated and I blow it up.) I
have the hotel room workout dialed. It varies - extended yga, or on the
ball, I stand on it, screw around on the ball, trying to walk on it or jump
on it. Before you know it youıre covered in sweat. And I do lots of
pushups and sit ups, pretty regularly. Once the heart of winter comes, I
feel more overworked and need to rest.
How many days do you ride in a row - Filming 7 days in a row will be
a lot. Thatıs a lot of sun, so the snow gets worse. In AK with mega high
pressure you can get 5 good days, then you can take a half day to rest up.
Fave riding buddies? Last couple years Jonathan Moore, Jonas Emery,
Mads Jonsson. Johan Olsson - heıs the one I like
riding with the most. Heıs not sponsored. He's from Sweden. I like riding
with him cuz heıs one of the most talented snowboarders Iıve ever seen. Nice
to be up there with someone who's charging. He enjoys being in the
mountains. Itıs not just for the [film] shot.
Who do you admire in snowboarding? The beauty of snowboarding is that
there are so many different styles, people have their own twists on things.
I can learn from anyone - my local buddies here. Everyone has something.
Do you ever get bummed out about your riding, and why? For sure. Say
weıll go to a place in the back country to film. We wake up 4:30, drive 2
hours, hike 1 hour. So we got up 6 hours early, then I drop in and make a
stupid mistake and blow the line. Meaning the snow is now messed up and we
can't film there again. If I crash on something I know I shouldnıt have then
I get bummed out. With freeriding you get 1 try, because once the snow is
tracked they wonıt put it in the movie, they wonıt put it any mag.
Do you use visualization, and if so, how? I guess I use a form of it
[for big mountain riding]. I memorize where I need to go, the hazards I want
to avoid. These days I take digital photos [of the line I'm going to hit] I
rely so much on the cameras - and they work so well. Since I started using
digital photography I think my memory skills have gotten worse.
What safety equipment do you wear, use for snowboarding? Varies.
Helmet all the time. In the back country avalanche transceiver, shovel, and
probe. These are bare necessities. I bring an Avalung depending on snow
conditions, and a harness.
What's the harness for? in case you fall down a crevasse, they hook
it onto a rope and pull you out. That's the only way out.
When did you decide to "go pro" and what happened to get you there?
It was a long time ago but I remember it well. I went to contest in
California when I was 16, a pro contest, I got 5th place, I won $600. And
that was the first money I made snowboarding. And I was pro.
Ages 16 to 21 was when I endured the most poverty Iıve ever lived in. I was
lucky if I slept on a couch. One winter I counted - I ate 300 peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches. Iıd eat lots of food at my parentıs house. But still
lose 10 lbs.. by the end of winter from not enough food.
Competing on the pro circuit, weıd live in our cars. Unfortunately I didnıt
have that nice of a sleeping bag, so I had to sleep in full snowboard gear
to stay warm. Car camping in winter is not that rad.
Back when you were competing, what events did you compete in? All
aspects for about seven years and racing towards the end when the Olympics
came about.
What did you do this winter?
Went around the world in January, Russia in Feb., Switzerland in March and
AK in April. Filmed for Standard, TGR and 91 Words for Snow.
Encouraging words for beginners?
Ride the whole mountain and put in as many days as you can no matter how the
conditions are.
Advice you want to share?
Live to ride another day
Whatıs new in your life?
A Baby Girl!
posted 8/05
