In Memoriam: JP Auclair
I met Jean-Philippe Auclair last summer while interning for Sherpas Cinema. For those that don't know, JP was a ski icon: part of the New Canadian Air Force, he revolutionized freestyle skiing in the late 1990's and helped introduce twin tip skis to the sport. His video segments in the annual Poor Boyz and Sherpas Cinema movies were something ski fans everywhere looked forward to. On Monday September 29th, JP, Andreas Fransson, and Liz Daley passed away while riding in Chile.
JP came to the Sherpas' office to edit his night segment for Into the Mind (he edited his own segment from All.I.Can. too) and spent the whole summer chipping away on what would become another beautiful example of his talent as an athlete and filmmaker. One of my favourite traditions from that summer was our afternoon ride: almost every day the crew would take a break from the computer and ride a 20 minute loop on our bikes. It ended up becoming a bit of a race and JP would consistently smash out fast times.
The last time I saw JP was at the Whistler premiere of Into the Mind. I introduced him to my friend Jonas and, JP, quoting a study he read which said that hugging someone for longer than 20 seconds creates an emotional bond between people, hugged him for 30 seconds and made yet another person feel as if they'd just made a new best friend. JP was a badass skier, a visionary filmmaker, and most importantly an immensely kind person. I feel lucky to have got to know him a little bit and I wish I could go on one more bike ride with him. Thanks for the inspiration JP.
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Rest in peace, brothas, it wont be the same...
R.I.P ANDREAS FRANSSON & JP AUCLAIR!
However,..."not bitching about the announcers"...I feel this is not the appropriate time/venue for this comment. Yes we are all grateful that the RB riders are OK, but the announcers sucking has nothing to do with these skiers' unfortunate accident and death. I feel bringing this up as a tangential topic in this piece is in poor taste...as if we should feel guilt as a tag-along emotion to sadness.
JP I can't even imagine how many folks you've inspired over the years! The New Canadian Airforce - with JF, Mike D, Vincent, Philou, the 3 Phils, Shane, saved me from snowboarding and pretty much lead me to where I'm at today! Thanks JP, count me among the legion of indebted and inspired!
Just to clear up a few details, JP and Andreas passed away in a separate avalanche from Liz Daley, though on the same day!
RIP JP, Andreas and Liz.
www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Liz-Daley-Dead-in-Avalanche.html
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/jp-auclair-quebec-extreme-skier-killed-in-avalanche-1.2783133
Andreas might have been the best skier in Chamonix, which might have made him the best in the world. He certainly didn't receive the press associated with it, but I don't think he cared. That said, he was one of the most thoughtful and insightful people around and had a unique philosophy on life, death and the unique experience that mountains can give us. His blog is definitely worth a read. andreasfransson.se/inner-adventures
"So what are we going to do with the gems of truth we find among the ice, rock and snow on the mountains? What are we going to do with the small satoris we experience on our everyday adventures? What can we do?
What can we do if not just enjoy them and share them with our friends? From one point of view they are only childish escapistic and romantic games we play. From the other end of the scale they are the very reason we are alive, the great meaning to life.
So what’s next in line? What are the worthy adventures to follow to their ends? And what is really the end – can we ever get there – to the end?
For me, the next thing in line is to try to normalize a life not normal. I don’t mean that I need to normalize it to someone else’s standards, but I need to do it for my self. I need to find a platform on where I can live, love and grow in harmony with my self, my family and friends. I have met death, and I have come back and I have also met life and come back from that. Where can I take these extremes on the scale (as we know it) and find coherence? Where can I out of this coherence still get the depth in a life built of opposites?"
You were one of the best ambassadors for this sport: love for nature and the whole planet Earth, ultimate skills and warm heart. to say the least....
However you will be with us on every single ride, every single pillow we bust!
SIP JP!
by the way, you are the reason why I bought first twin-tip skis, I never regretted that!
…shine on….