Feel’n Good!

Photo By Chris Figenshau

I am back! “Fat Bastard” has been on my hit list for a while. After being injured this winter, I didn’t think it would be an attainable goal this year. I have been skiing for three weeks now and am feeling pretty good. It was a tough decision to not go to Kirkwood for the fourth stop of the Freeskiing World Tour. I decided it would be more beneficial for me to stay in Jackson and keep getting stronger. As it turns out it was a good decision.

It has been snowing in Jackson for the last week and the skiing has been amazing. I have been testing out my injury with smaller airs. I have to admit, pow skiing is great rehab. On friday, I decided to go take a look at “Fat Bastard.” F.B. is a notorious air in Jackson. It is 35 feet of sheer rock and has been a goal of mine for at least five years. The snow in the landing was a pole deep. Looking at the air and realizing the conditions were perfect, I knew it was time to truly test my injury. I made a few phone calls and a plan to hit the air the next day.

Saturday was beautiful. As I opened my eyes in the morning and saw the blue skies, I knew it was time. Bryce Newcomb and Jeff Leger joined me for the air. We decided to climb the south ridge to access the line. The hike was scarier than I thought it would be. The snow was unstable and we were extremely exposed standing on top of the line. As we prepared to ski, a large crowd gathered. It looked like we were going to have to put on show.

I dropped into the line. The snow was perfect. I made three turns before getting to the take off of the air. I was feeling confident until my last turn. As I came into the take off the new snow blinded me. I love face shots, but not right before a take off. Luckily, the snow cleared just as I reached the take off. As my skis came to the edge, I popped and was airborne. It felt so good to be flying through the air. During the free fall, I spotted my landing and went for the stomp. I thought I had it. When I landed, I bounced and rolled forward. Luckily, my skis stayed on and I came right up to my feet and skied away.

It feels so good to have my confidence back. It also feels great to have attained another goal safely! I’m back!

“Voices of the Valley” – Speaker Series

Kit Deslauriers and I will speaking tonight for the “Voices of the Valley” presented by the Historical society of Jackson Hole. I am really excited as well as nervous. I have not spoke in front of 100’s of people since college. I am planning on sharing stories of competition, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Las Lenas, and filming with Warren Miller. Here’s a sneak peak of my competition presentation.

Almost Back!

It has been a long winter. Being injured sucks. On December 8th, my entire back froze up. I couldn’t move anything. It was one of the scariest and most painful moments of my life. I talked to multiple chiropractors and doctors in Jackson who didn’t seem to know what exactly was going on. After two weeks of lying on the floor with my feet up and no closer to recovery, I flew to Orange County to see a well know Chiropractor. Dr Gooing in an athlete himself as well as the best chiropractor I have ever seen. One look at my x-rays and I finally had an answer. “You are lucky to be alive. You have a 30 degree subluxation of the C1-C5. You should be dead.”

It took me a while to process that I had seriously injured myself. I remember the accident, but there was no blood or physical malformation, only pain. I kept asking Dr Gooing how long it would take to be ready to compete. He finally said, “Jess pretend you blew out your knee and broke your leg. It’s that serious.” This hit home and finally started to relax and begin the heeling process. I spent six weeks at his clinic working on getting my spine straight.

It feels good to be back in Jackson and skiing. My spine is straight, but I also tore multiple ligaments. The ligaments help to keep my spine in place. When they are weakened, my spine is unstable. Everyday I feel myself getting stronger and there are even moments when I feel like me skiing at 100%. Currently, I feel like I am skiing at 85%. I want to set goals and dead lines for when I’ll be back competing, but I am learning that it is up to my body not my mind. I can only push my body so far. The injury is not permeant, but it is serious. Healing takes time and right now I need to enjoy skiing and let my body heal.