Scott Markewitz/Will Wissman (Photo via ESPN.com Freeskiing Blog)
“Free Fall: The Jamie Pierre Story” – Skiing Magazine
A framed print on Jamie’s bathroom wall reads: “The challenge is to be yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else. By age 32, other pro skiers are mellowing out, starting their own companies, becoming elder statesmen. But while other pro skiers—and the rest of us—can find peace of mind by more conventional means, Jamie cannot. “There’s some combination of neurotransmitters, a cocktail that he cooks up when he’s skiing off cliffs, Dr. Nate Zinsser, a sports psychologist who works with combat soldiers at West Point, recently told me. “Putting his life on the line gives him an elevated awareness and sense of perception. And if he doesn’t get that, he feels like shit. I’ve seen people go through withdrawal—Special Forces and Delta Forces who have a sense of dullness outside of their operations. This guy Pierre is just like that point man on a patrol, said Zinsser. “He’ll either find the wire—or trip over it.