Jeremy Jones: Snowboarding is my art

Jeremy Jones is a professional snowboarder, who is not afraid to beat it. Apart from his exciting sports career, he dives into other interesting things. Do you wanna know more about Jeremy? Just click and read our article about his life and especially about his love for snowboarding!

He has experienced hundreds of downhill slopes and has climbed to the tops of the mountains, he has dealt with an avalanche, has tried volunteer activities, and has founded a non-profit organization. And now, in a spirit of sustainability and respect for the environment, he's working hard to develop the leading brand of snowboards bearing his name. For his humanitarian activity and overcoming dangerous mountains, Jeremy Jones was even nominated by National Geographic as Adventurer 2013. In addition, he has been awarded the Big Mountain Rider of the Year title by the American Snowboarder magazine ten times.

Professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones has come a long way. At the age of thirty-four, he certainly is not going to retire. He started snowboarding at the age of nine, when he was fourteen he put his talent and power together with the world-famous Rossignol brand. Two years later, he became a professional rider. He has worked with Rossignol for nearly two decades. He learned a lot about marketing and development of snowboards. He encountered with key market deals so that he could keep on improving snowboards. He knew he could always offer something more. Something more for riders and nature. He had the dream he wanted to pursue.

He started working with the Swiss family brand Nidecker. This opportunity meant a cooperation with a willing company to help him develop new freeride boards. Nidecker provided him modern factory and engineers. From zero, Jeremy created a dream company which offered top quality snowboards and splitboards - Jones Snowboards. „I had no exaggerated expectations, initially, I thought I would let the market decide the size of my company. Nidecker helps me achieve my goals and supports my vision,“ says Jeremy humbly.

The factory owned by the Nidecker family produces snowboards for a number of brands. Jeremy's enthusiasm and determination to produce the most sophisticated snowboards is proven by Jones Snowboards and it's motivation to develop a higher number of snowboard samples than all other brands together.

Jeremy also admires nature and has a great respect for it. Even an experienced snowboarder can be surprised by unpredictable conditions and be swept by an avalanche. Simultaneously, pure nature is something so beautiful that Jeremy feels the need to protect it.

If you were looking for Jeremy in a suit and from nine to five behind the desk in the office, you would be probably disappointed. Even if he leaves his workers free of charge, he is a part of the whole process of production of unique snowboards and splitboards. Even when recruiting, he has to be sure that the applicants understand what Jones Snowboards is about. The most important is the experience and desire to give the best to riders and nature as well. „I have never come up with an idea of a new snowboard when writing e-mails. The path to success is spending every day in the mountains,“ says Jeremy.

And this is the reason why Jeremy wants to preserve the mountains as we know them today: to keep it for next generations. Not only for his children but also for grandchildren. Therefore, Jones Snowboards is a proud member of the 1% For The Planet. It's the Association of companies that donate at least 1% of their annual turnover to organizations that fight for the sustainability of the environment. This group supports thousands of nonprofit organizations that want to protect the planet, forests, rivers, and oceans. The aim is to promote the sustainability of agriculture, prevent dumping of plastics into the oceans and spreading of toxins in the air.

At Jones Snowboards, they try to protect the environment even during the process of production snowboards. They don't wait for sales to contribute 1 %. Jeremy and his team strive to find the ideal balance between snowboard quality and usage of recoverable resources. The boards are equipped with side walls made of recycled ABS materials and recycled steel edges. Even the graphics are made of water-based colors. Customers get a snowboard or splitboard that is designed on the basis of years of professional riding experience and is also made as environmentally friendly as possible.

Apart from donating the 1 % of equipment sales to the non-profit organizations, Jeremy established his own organization in 2007: Protect our Winters (POW). Through POW, he tries to mobilize fans of winter sports to fight against climate change and global warming. If there are melting glaciers, we won't have a place to go snowboarding.

And there are really a lot of these sports enthusiasts - amateurs and professionals. Moreover, thanks to the Hot Planet/Cool Athletes program pupils and students meet the professional athletes who inform them about the effects of global warming.

The POW is directly involved in the afforestation of the rainforest in Costa Rica and helps lower the greenhouse gasses that contribute to warming up of our planet.

Why in Costa Rica? The Earth is about ten degrees from the equator. Thanks to this position, the new trees can grow 365 days a year. Small seeds transform into large trees much faster and more quickly convert carbon dioxide (one of the greenhouse gases) into oxygen. So a few years ago, Jeremy took his whole family on such an unconventional vacation to the state of Central America. To plant trees.

„Snowboarding is for me the most effective way to connect with nature. It's my way of artistic expression.“ JEREMY JONES

Fear belongs to life and to winter sports as well. Jeremy himself admits that without fear he would not get anywhere. It is necessary to overcome it, but at the same time to remember the respect to Mother Nature. When you finally set off, there is no way back. The rider must follow a precisely defined route. And most importantly, he must know it really well. That rule can save a life.

When Jeremy rides down the mountain, he cannot think selfishly of himself. It's necessary to take into account his wife and children as well before he says yes to another adventure. Despite careful preparation, nature is unpredictable. However, a few years ago Jeremy had a first-hand experience of rough conditions in the mountains.

Happiness, good preparation, cool head, and co-driver. Thanks to that, Jeremy survived the avalanche that swerved in the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah.

„I have never heard this kind of sound. A dim, dull thunder,“ describes Jeremy. A torn avalanche literally buried him. Other people of the crew yelled at him to run as fast as possible. He knew he could save himself by grabbing the pine that was on his way. But the avalanche initially caught him. Thanks to his cool head and communication with other riders, he was rescued by the helicopter soon. „Even a few weeks later, I had vivid memories of the whole event.“

5 Red Flags

For backcountry rides, you must have an avalanche search engine, a shovel, a probe, and a good partner. Leave your ego at home. Always check your local forecast of avalanche danger and beware of the natural avalanche marks - these are the principles that Jeremy Jones has formulated: 5 RED FLAGS! Ride to live another day!

1. A fresh snow might be a hallmark of the avalanche. The vast majority of man-caused avalanches are of this origin. Count with a high to extreme avalanche hazard at least 24 hours after a snowfall. Follow this rule and you'll reduce the risk of avalanche triggering by 90%.

2. Traces of recent avalanches such as "crown lines" and "avy debris" have to be taken seriously. Be very cautious if you find a trail of an avalanche at a similar altitude as the slope on which you're up to ride.

3. Breaking snow or cracks in the snow is a sign of unstable layers. Cracks can be caused by the pressure of skis or boards when climbing or descending the slope. All of these symptoms of the dangerous snow layers threaten to crack and start an avalanche.

4. Rapid warming always means a potential avalanche risk because the snow cover did not have enough time to adapt to temperature changes. And the initial temperature doesn't matter very much. Especially pay attention to the first day after the fresh snow falls.

5. Strong wind or blizzard can transmit snow. Thence avalanche conditions can change from stable to dangerous without attacking a new layer very quickly. You should be very cautious while walking on high ridges and avoid treacherous snowdrift at the top of the slopes.