*UPDATED with a video interview and Eulogy -- It is with heavy hearts that we must post that, our friend and International Free Skiing Association Head Judge, Jim Jack perished in an avalanche today in Stevens Pass along with 2 others. According to ESPN.com, the other two in the slide that died were 'Stevens Pass Director of Marketing Chris Rudolph and skier John Brenan.'
Here is an interview with Jim Jack at the 2012 Revy Freeski World Tour:
Jim Jack was a beloved friend of thousands of freeskiers, whom he had the pleasure of judging on the IFSA. He was always a good guy, who was good for a laugh and very dedicated to our sport. He will be sorely missed.
Jim Jack: at an athlete meeting in Revelstoke.
Jim Jack: always stoked
Jim Jack Eulogy by Tim Grey
Jim Jack was a legend. He was also one of the greatest and most knowledgeable conisuiers of big mountain skiing in the world. He was witness to some of the most awe inspiring advancements in the sport of big mountain freeskiing and he was a big part of why they happened. And now he's dead. Dead from skiing. Such is our way. The mountains are dangerous. We all know this, and I know that Jim Jack had accepted this. Skiing is life or death every day; it's the denominator that makes us such a pure community.
The facts are that none of us get out of here alive. This life, has an imperfect ending. It just comes sooner for some than for others.
At a time like this, what is important is to celebrate. Let's celebrate a man who loved skiing more than most. And even better than loving skiing, is that Jim Jack loved skiers. He interacted with more shredders than just about anyone in this world and he cared about them all. He cared that they loved skiing and he cared that they deserved a fair shot at being judged on their passion, which he also shared. He had a privileged position where he witnessed more guys and girls pushing their limits than basically anyone. He took this responsibility seriously. He was a safe guy. He loved controlled, fluid skiing and never liked crashes. It was with this mentality that he judged; a job that he took on like a mantle of responsibility. He was so passionate about judging skiing; about how to find the right way to award the best skiers of the day. He thought about this more than just about everybody else and he did a good job with delivering results in his field of work.
Jim Jack was a fun loving guy who loved to laugh. He was a consument, dirt bag pro, who held the torch high so many of us could see the way. He leaves a legacy in freeskiing that should always be remembered. I will remember him most for how geeky he could get when it came to judging freeriding and his infectious smile and mischievousness. My own story with JJ has a long history but it was only this year that we actually bonded in a way that involved deep friendship. We roomed together during the final days of the Revelstoke FWT event this year and we were 'wingmen' on the final party night. This was also a task JJ took seriously and proved it by rescuing me from a abandoned, street in downtown Revy at 3:00 am in -20 degree weather. I'll always remember him yelling 'GREY Get over here,' after several long minutes of being completely alone. While I was just ready to being a long, cold trek back to my hotel, Jim Jack yelled after me. Sure enough, Jim Jack had been searching for a while for me and hadn't left without me, as we promised each other we wouldn't.
Only last week I completed an IFSA judging webignar with Jim Jack as he trained me to judge the upcoming Jr. event at Lake Louise. Throughout the time together, (the last time I would ever speak with him) we were cracking jokes, but always there was serious discussions about how and why we should be judging a certain way. Jim was especially interested in Jr. comps because he obviously saw these kids as the future of the sport he loved and he was adamant about awarding safe, smart, fluid and technically sound skiing for these jrs.
All we can really say at a time like this is 'long shred the righteous wailers,' which is a Trevor Peterson quote that has only made sense to me after many years of dwelling on the un-logic in it. Life and death don't really make sense. We enter this world traumatically and we exit it traumatically. What else is there but to eat, drink and be merry while we're here? I think Jim Jack did that well.
