"Big Mountains are Getting Huge"
Writer - Blair HabenichtJeremy Jones is a rider I always viewed as an anti-hero of snowboarding, not giving much thought to anything else but riding big, scary lines. And yes, he has been the most recognized big-mountian rider of the decade, but in comparison to the media attention that freestyle commands, Jeremy's past coverage and global influence has been relatively light and directed almost solely at freeriders. That has changed, tough. After "Deeper" came out, the increase of backcountry travelers in the Pacific Northwest was undeniable, which I doubt was a geographically isolated incident.
His abandonment of helicopters and snowmobiles in as endearing an endeavor rider of his caliber has ever taken in an attempt to show the possibilities of riding big lines are hard to get to, yes, but nonetheless available within most snowboarders budgets and locales. That may not have been his goal, but it was accomplished. And in branching out by filming and marketing his own signature movie, Jeremy has also managed to capture the attention of another audience that has no real interest in going out and riding the terrain themselves - an audience that see snowboarding as a sport, not a lifestyle.
This is the tipping point for Jeremy, from anti-hero of a lifestyle of riding big mountains, to a hero whose face can now be used to sell headphones at Best Buy. This is no slight to Jeremy; it simply reflects the current market trends and that his ideas and lifestyle are what people desire in their own existence.
"The people filling up the backcountry are not influenced by mainstream advertising. They are people that want to keep evolving their snowboarding and get away from crowded resorts. In this crowded world of constant connectivity and increasing rules and laws, the backcountry is a place to cut yourself off from society and experience freedom." - Jeremy Jones
