JT Holmes: Redemption

As a ski BASE jumper and a regular star of Matchstick Films, JT Holmes is one of the most dynamic skiers on the Freeride World Tour. After coming off of knee surgery in August the thrill-seeking American is ahead in his training and is hungry for a win on the FWT11.

As the next to last skier of the day at the Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2010 by Swatch American  skier JT Holmes was looking for a new line, one that wasn’t tracked and already full of bomb  holes. In an interview on PortersTahoe.com Holmes described his thoughts. “I am a firm  believer in skiing a line on a mountain that speaks to you, one that you notice right away. This  one did. I pointed it out to Cody [Townsend] and said, ‘I think I am going over there.’ Cody,  without skipping a beat replied, ‘Do you want me to be one of your pall bearers?’ We have  sick senses of humour and from that moment onward, we referred to the line as The  Pallbearer.”
Holmes dropped in but in the flat light of the shaded face he miscalculated the takeoff over a  large cliff band to a 50˚ wind buff landing. “I actually came up short, landed on a rock but  skipped off it nicely, tried to hold on in the back seat, but then this left turn had to happen to  avoid some rocks. Sitting up and making the turn just did not happen. I swerved my trajectory  away from the rocks and inevitably ate it, high sided and then I was off to tumbling.  At this point, I proceeded to tomahawk down 45-50˚ wind buff … for days.”

 

Sweet Home California

JT grew up in Palo Alto, California where he spent the weekends skiing with his family at the ski resort he now calls home, Squaw Valley. He ski raced until he was 10 before moving on to skiing moguls. As a naturally gifted skier with a solid technical background it wasn’t long before the crew at Matchstick Productions focused their lenses on the 17-year-old for their 1997 film, Sick Sense.
It was the beginning of a strong relationship and after featuring in nine videos we asked which seggy he’s most proud of. “Matchstick Productions' Hit List is my favourite because I skied well, and it was at all the local spots at home. I think that avid Tahoe backcountry skiers can watch that segment and think "Hey, that is right over there!" ”

On the day after his 22nd birthday in 2002 Holmes fired off his first BASE jump and in 2003, Holmes and his close friend Shane McConkey performed their first ski BASE while filming for Matchstick. The pair became known as pioneers of the sport before McConkey’s tragic death on March 26, 2009.
“I have not ski base'd since. Not because I quit, but just because last winter I focused entirely on skiing, competing, etc. and just did not get around to it. Of course, I lost some enthusiasm to ski base jump when Shane died, but that has returned now. Shane was my best friend and my only partner for all that creative ski base jumping. We not only did all that fun stuff, but we laughed the whole time. Shane was the one and he is gone, and it is not nearly as fun to go do silly things in the mountains all by yourself. But now I have Timy Dutton to base jump with and we are really having a blast with it. It is fun and funny again. He and I will certainly be ski base jumping this year, and I can't wait.”

 

Recovery
JT’s crash at the Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2010 by Swatch left him with meniscus damage to his right knee. After trying to recover without surgery he tested the knee at a K2 Skis trip to Chile in August and realized that surgery would indeed be necessary to regain full strength. “As a veteran in this game, I have the advantage of knowing what it takes to heal and knowing that you can get back to 100%, so that when you are clicking into those bindings there are no head games.”
On September 17th Holmes went under the knife. Within 48 hours he began to feel improvement and was able to ride his bike 34 miles without swelling that day. The knee has continued to get stronger every day since.

 

FWT11
On the horizon looms the upcoming Freeride World Tour. Holmes has never won a major freeride competition yet he knows he has what it takes for a place at the top of the podium. All he needs is that magic combination of all the right factors locking in at just the right time. When asked about the FWT11, JT stated, “Opportunity of a lifetime. Can't pass it up. Just watching guys like Candide [Thovex] ski, it is so cool to be a part of. It pushes me as an athlete and we all grow together out there.”
JT will enter the FWT11 as a wildcard, which is good because it takes much of the pressure off. He will clearly be a favourite at the North American Championships Kirkwood 2011 by Swatch near his home mountain. But that same advantage might hold him back at some of the other stops on the FWT11. “I tend to ski better when it is not super cold outside. That messed with me in Chamonix last year. I am from Tahoe. I hate being cold.”
Nevertheless, as one of the top 19 freeskiers in the world, the chances are there and at any given event Holmes could bring home the bacon. His strategy? “One stop at a time. Have fun. Don't over think it. Send it. I have never won a major skiing competition. It is something that I would like to do.”

 

 

Momentum
Over the summer JT has had time to come to grips with his legendary fall on that bluebird day in Verbier 2010. “Being in a tumble like that, in which there is just no stopping, no matter what, you really realize that the mountains and gravity are the boss. I thought to myself mid tumble, "Well, I knew if I fell here I would go for a ride. Now, I am going for that ride." ”
But during that summer Holmes had time to put it in perspective and make it work for him. Far from pushing him away from competition it has provided even stronger motivation, “It was a proud line, a zero or hero scenario. I got a taste of zero, but I will be back to the Bec Des Rosses for redemption.”