Cliff Jump World Record Holder Killed in Avalanche

Last weekend the freeride world was shocked by the terrible news of freeski legend Jamie Pierre's fatal avalanche accident.

Hazardous conditions in Utah
Although the area had not yet opened, and therefore was not under the supervision of snow patrol, there were hundreds of skiers and snowboarders hiking and riding in the surroundings of Snowbird, Utah. The conditions were far from safe with a decent layer of fresh snow on an unstable older layer, but many couldn’t resist the temptations of the powder. There were several reports of human triggered avalanches, including the one that Jamie Pierre was in.

Jamie Pierre 1973-2011
On Sunday the 13th of November 2011, Jamie went hiking with a friend when tragedy struck. Jamie dropped in on a steep slope, when immediately a slab of snow came off. According to a police report it was probably not the avalanche itself but the impact of the fall that caused the tragic death. Jamie Pierre was a well known pro skier with Snowbird Utah as his home base. He appeared in several film productions, amongst others Teton Gravity Research and Warren Miller Productions. Still his best known stunt captured on film is definitely his (until recently) world record cliff jump from 2006, where he jumped down 75 meters, landed on his head and skied away with a wide grin on his face. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Below some of the finest videos of Jamie Pierre.

Wereld Record Cliff Jump – 75 meter (2006)

Jamie Pierre from all angles cruising powder and cliff jumping on a sunny day

Jamie Pierre Tribute Video

Remembering Jamie Pierre from Warren Miller Entertainment on Vimeo.