Adventure Sports Journal - Jeremy takes Daron Rahlves into the backcountry

 

http://adventuresportsjournal.com/backcountry-skiing/sandbagging-an-olympian

Sandbagging An Olympian 
Ski Racer Daron Rahlves dives head first into the Sierra backcountry with snowboarder Jeremy Jones 
Story and photos by Seth Lightcap


You’re only a virgin once so we had to go big. Especially considering the man of the hour.
The task at hand was to take former Olympian turned pro freeskier Daron Rahlves into the backcountry for his first overnight Sierra ski trip. Now, Rahlves had explored the backcountry near Sugar Bowl on Donner Summit, but he had never been winter camping, nor had he explored the towering peaks of the High Sierra. That all was to change when he accepted my invitation to join pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones and me for an adventure in the Sierra last January.

Of course, Rahlves is one of the strongest skiers on the planet, so despite his inexperience in the skintrack, this was not your average rookie outing. We needed a worthy challenge for the man with a mantle full of World Cup trophies. Knowing the scenery would blow his mind, the ski line a classic, and the approach pain inducing, the pretty lady we chose was the North Couloir of Feather Peak (13,240 ft).

The North Couloir of Feather fit the bill, as it’s no roadside attraction. The steep couloir hangs off the Sierra Crest like a spectacular frozen neck-tie seven miles behind and 6,000 feet above the Pine Creek trailhead outside of Bishop, CA. We had a three-day time window, good weather, and stable snow, so we hoped to summit and ski the line regardless of the suffering. Cinematographers Chris Edmands and Canyon Florey also joined us to document the sweat equity.
To share the story of our trip I’ve presented a handful of images that highlight Rahlves’ rookie experience. Did we sandbag the Olympian with a death march, or did he feel rewarded by sweet success? The photo captions tell the tale.

Whitelines Magazine - Feature of Jeremy and Terje in Svalbard

THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: SNOWBOARDING IN SVALBARD
If go north of Norway, Svalbard is the last landmass you reach before you hit the North Pole. Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones and the intrepid Dan Milner travelled to this remote and desolate island in search of untouched and uncharted lines. Find out how they dealt with the cold, the lack of sleep and the constant threat of polar bear attacks.

Jack O'Neill Book - Jeremy photo spread

Kronicle - Jeremy photos

Jeremy finds his place in Backcountry Snowboarding's newest Magazine Kronicle (Winter 2012)

2 page spread - Jeremy Jones Mt. Dana, Yosemite

contents page - "Jeremy Jones rallies a sunset lap in the Sierra Backcontry, Calif."

 Jones Snowboards Ad

Tahoe Fund License Plate Endorsement

See the video at:
http://www.tahoefund.org/tahoeplates/license-plate-for-powder/

License Plate for Powder 

Jeremy Jones and Daron Rahlves endorse the Tahoe Fund License Plate.

Tahoe license plate fees help support trails, parks, water quality and restoration projects at Lake Tahoe.

CarsonNow.org - Jeremy Jones and Daron Rahlves Plate for Powder Campaign

Lake Tahoe Sports Icons Daron Rahlves, Jeremy Jones Partner With Plate for Powder Campaign

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  Behind-the-scenes with Daron Rahlves and Jeremy Jones on the Plate for Powder shoot.
  

 

 

 

 

By Maja Thaler 

 

Two of Lake Tahoe's most popular ski and snowboarding icons, Daron Rahlves and Jeremy Jones, have finished shooting public service ads this week for the nonprofit Tahoe Fund's Plate for Powder program (photos). Rahlves and Jones donated their time for the California and Nevada Lake Tahoe specialty license plates program, which gives new Tahoe license plate buyers two free Alpine or Nordic ski tickets to their choice of 12 major Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts.

Rahlves, a three-time World Championship medalist and three times a member of the U.S. Olympic team, is the most-decorated U.S. skier in history. In 2001 he was the first American ever to win the Super G world title, and in 2005 won World Championship medals in the Giant Slalom and Downhill. Rahlves was on the U.S. ski team for 13 years.

Jones is famous for his big mountain freeriding as well as for his nonprofit Protect Our Winters environmental organization dedicated to addressing global warming. The snowboarder has starred in numerous snow sports films, and is producing a trio of documentaries on snowboarding.

Visuals of the two talking about the Plate for Powder program will be used in advertising in local and regional media outlets. Over 96% of Lake Tahoe license plate fees go directly to Tahoe Basin bike paths, hiking trails, parks, and restoration projects of the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Nevada Division of State Lands, and the Tahoe Fund.

"Having Tahoe-area athletes like Daron and Jeremy support the Tahoe Plate for Powder program is inspiring," said Cindy Gustafson, President of the Tahoe Fund. "Who better knows the value of recreation and conservation projects at Tahoe than two local pro athletes who learned - and now practice - their skills here?"

The special resort ticket deal is available only through the tahoefund.org website, where buyers can receive their two free tickets by purchasing a new California Tahoe plate for $50 or a new Nevada Tahoe plate for $61.

All major Tahoe ski resorts are participating in the 2nd Annual Plate for Powder Program, including Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Homewood, Heavenly Valley, Northstar-at-Tahoe (Alpine and Nordic), Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl, Boreal Ridge, Tahoe Donner (Alpine and Nordic), Royal Gorge, Tahoe Cross Country, and Sierra-at-Tahoe. The free tickets and day passes are valid Sunday through Friday for the 2011/2012 season until supplies run out. Standard holiday blackout dates apply to downhill ski areas, including 12/24-1/1, 1/14-1/16, and 2/18-2/20. Check with each resort for specific holiday blackout dates.

To purchase a Tahoe plate and receive your complimentary lift tickets, visit www.tahoefund.org.
About the Tahoe Fund
The Tahoe Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises private funds to supplement a dwindling supply of public money for environmental improvement projects at Lake Tahoe. A diverse group of business, government agency and environmental leaders formed the organization in 2010, and the Fund has already partnered with Nevada and California agencies to implement on-the-ground projects that restore and enhance Lake Tahoe's natural and recreational resources for visitors and residents.

National Geographic Interviews Jeremy Jones

http://ngadventure.typepad.com/blog/2011/12/snowboarder-jeremy-jones-protect-our-winters.html

Snowboarder Jeremy Jones on Protect Our Winters

"Jeremy Jones is an alien. He's just inhumanly good at snowboarding." So lives the legend of this pioneering big-mountain rider. We heard this comment this week from an Alaska-based ski/snowboarding operator, but the sentiment is one that rings throughout the snowboarding world.

Once a pro rider hitting a different big-mountain location every week, Jones's ethos have evolved over the years. Instead of heli-assisted first descents, he now prefers to go the old-fashioned way—on foot or splitboard. "The reality with going on foot is that it can take days to go do one run. It’s definitely a quality over quantity deal," he says. His film trilogy Deeper is aimed to show that you can do world-class freeriding without a helicopter. Further, part two due out September 2012, shows some of the best riders exploring the backcountry the slow way, which makes for a more a richer, more personal snowboarding film.

This falls right in line with Protect Our Winters (POW), a foundation Jones started in 2007 to unite the snow-sports industry and fans to fight climate change. With 30,000 members and some of our favorite athletes as ambassadors, Protect Our Winters is taking their message to the classroom and to Congress.

To kick off skiing and snowboarding season, we caught up with Jones to find out the latest on POW, what it's like to talk to Congress about climate change, and his favorite places to ride. —Mary Anne Potts

Further Unplugged #2 / ESPN

Further Unplugged: Svalbard

Jeremy Jones takes Terje on his first splitboarding mission ever up in the Arctic Circle

By Seth Lightcap | ESPN Action Sports

 

The second episode of Jeremy Jones' "Further Unplugged" web series delivers an introduction to quite possibly the most epic shred mission undertaken last winter. If backcountry snowboarding in a polar-bear habitat, or the 190-kilometer, 30-hour approach over sea ice didn't clinch that "epic" title, then the rarefied riding partner Jones brought along on his adventure sure did.
In April, Jones connected with the legendary Viking shred Terje Haakonsen for an expedition to Svalbard, an archipelago of mountainous islands in the Arctic Circle off the coast of northern Norway. The pair of pioneers spent three weeks camped out on a glacier snowboarding lines they had climbed. The trip marked a lot of firsts. Namely, it was the first time the two had ridden together, and it was the first time Terje had ever been splitboarding. As you can imagine, some heavy first descents went down.
While waiting for the snow to fly in the Sierra Nevada, Jones spoke to ESPN about what made the trip a dream come true, despite a shaky start.

ESPN: What drew you to Svalbard?
Jones: I had heard rumors of this island with really good steeps, really close together with flat run-outs. Turned out it was all true and then some. Svalbard has amazing terrain, 24-hour sunlight, you can cross most valleys in 10 minutes, and the maritime snowpack sticks to the mountains, making for a relatively safe [avalanche] cycle. There is also a lot of glacier ice, which is key. If you don't have glaciers, you're not going to find cold pow that close to the ocean.

Jeremy JonesSvalbard: where the mountains meet the ocean in the Arctic Circle, the polar bears outnumber humans, and people use sleds instead of cars to get around.

 

Getting into the mountains proved to be the catch. What made the approach such an ordeal?
The zone we wanted to ride was a 190-kilometer snowmobile ride away from the nearest town. We weren't sure how long it would take but we estimated about 10 hours. It took us 30. At the 10-hour point it started raining and a river formed in the glacier we were trying to climb up. The snow scooters kept getting stuck in the slop, so we decided to set up camp and get some sleep. When we woke up and started moving, we immediately got stuck 100 yards out of camp. It took us another eight hours to go up the glacier.

“ The first time I saw Terje was at the U.S. Open in 1990. I was a groveling am and he nearly won the pro halfpipe contest. I was blown away. If you had told me on the side of that pipe that in 20 years we would be riding together for the first time, filming for my movie in the Arctic Circle, I would have never believed you.
” -- Jeremy Jones

What are snow scooters?
Snow scooters are like nothing I had ever seen. They are really beefed up and geared down snowmobiles made for hauling. It's how everyone gets around, gets to work, gets everywhere in Svalbard. We were able to put two people and all our gear on each one. You're traveling on a frozen ocean so we averaged about 30 miles an hour when the ice was smooth.

What did it take to convince Haakonsen to join you on the trip?
I talked to Terje right when "Further" became a reality. He was down from day one. Over that next year I would get random calls from him from the mountain shop: "Do I need crampons? What kind of ice axe should I get?" He was new to it all but came in really gung ho.

How did he take to climbing lines with you?
Terje is an insane athlete and super fit. He had never been on a splitboard or climbed with an ice axe or crampons, but he adjusted to the climbing really well. He was running around the mountains in no time.

Jeremy JonesJust a mellow little 190 km sled slog.

 

Had you ever ridden with him before?
No. The first time I saw Terje was at the U.S. Open in 1990. We were similar ages, but I was a groveling am and he nearly won the pro halfpipe contest. I was blown away by him. If you had told me on the side of that pipe that in 20 years we would be riding together for the first time, filming for my movie in the Arctic Circle, I would have never believed you. Every run we took on this trip I was still that little kid on the side of the pipe excited to watch him ride. He's hands down one of the best snowboarders to ever strap in. I still can't believe he was on the trip.  

Frequency - 12 page Feature, Jeremy and Jonovan in Tantalus

 

 

 

Mountain Magazine - Mtn Advocate Jeremy Jones

http://www.mountainonline.com/mountain-magazine/item/550-jeremy-jones

We give the Mountain pulpit to:To find out more please visit: protectourwinters.org Photo by Seth Lightcap
Jeremy Jones
Founder/CEO, Protect Our Winters (POW)

In 2001, I was waiting out a February storm in northern British Columbia, and went for a hike up a closed ski area. It was nothing but grass, but I didn't think much about it until I ran into a local skier and he started telling me stories of his childhood on the mountain.

"Why did it close?" I asked. "It stopped snowing," he said. The ski area relied largely on manmade snow, he explained. As temperatures got warmer, the rain/snow line moved up and they couldn't make snow anymore. By 2001, maybe one storm a year dropped enough natural snow to ride the mountain. The story wouldn't have hit me in the gut if the local had been 80 years old, but he was only 30. If he saw this much change in his youth, what would we see in the next 30 years? Would my home mountain be next?

I decided to get involved. I called a friend at the Surfrider Foundation to direct me to the right organization. He told me the last thing I wanted to hear: "You need to start a foundation."

This was not the answer I was looking for. I barely graduated high school. I am not a lifelong environmental activist. I knew nothing about nonprofits or how to solve climate change. For two years I did nothing. Then I spent a year making phone calls and asking questions. It was clear that it couldn't be the Jeremy Jones foundation. However, skiers and snowboarders are on the front lines of climate change, and we should be leaders in fixing the problem. Glaciers are disappearing. Winters are getting shorter. The past decade was the warmest on record. Everyone has to own a piece of this.

Protect Our Winters launched in 2007 to engage snowboarders and skiers against climate change. Since then, we've gained support from thousands of committed individuals around the world and some of the largest companies in the industry. We've raised awareness, made grants to community-based organizations fighting climate change locally, developed programs that fight dirty coal, and inspired high school students to become the next generation of climate leaders. Our board is made up of some of the smartest minds from winter sports, nonprofits, and science, including Auden Schendler from Aspen Skiing Company, Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, and Matt McClain from the Surfrider Foundation. It's truly a collaborative effort and we're making an impact. If we can mobilize a significant percentage of skiers and snowboarders, we can use our leverage to demand a transition from fossil fuel and become leaders in a clean energy economy. Our congressmen and senators need to hear from a community that has so much to lose.

Yet in a time where we need solutions, we're still fighting skeptics who argue manmade climate change is some sort of hoax. But if we listened to skeptics instead of scientists, we'd still think the Earth was flat. Climate change is happening. It's right before our eyes, in places we visit each year and in the mountain communities we love. Just ask that BC skier hiking on grassy runs with only fading memories of his snowy youth.