Industry News
This previous winter, numerous videos of mono-skier Trevor Kennison pushing the boundaries went viral. Trevor Kennison’s massive send over Corbet’s Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY quickly became iconic, and arguably garnered more attention than any other line of 2019’s ski season.
Trevor’s story is both badass and moving, and serves as the perfect hype-up for the rapidly approaching winter. In 2014, Trevor and his friends built a kicker in the backcountry of Vail, but things quickly went south when Trevor landed directly on his lower back. REI’s Megan Michelson has the full story:
“I hit and heard a loud pop. I was laying there like a starfish. I knew right away I was paralyzed.” It was 4pm when Trevor awkwardly landed, and it wasn’t until 7pm that a search and rescue crew was able to evacuate him. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it off that mountain,” said Trevor.
Upon arriving at the hospital, doctors informed him that he’d almost certainly never walk again. Months after, Trevor, who had been snowboarding his entire life, took adaptive skiing lessons at Snowmass, and quickly advanced to skiing more advanced slopes. Trevor had been a park-rat before the injury, and he quickly advanced to the point where he was back in the park.
If those videos somehow weren’t impressive, then you need to see the next one. Hitting a backflip on skis is something very few people can do, which makes hitting a backflip on a mono-ski all the more impressive.
Trevor has consistently inspired skiers around the globe, even before the Corbet’s jump that made him famous in the skiing community. His attitude is something that should rub-off on us all:
“I could be sitting in my wheelchair in my house or I could be out living my life. I’m going to go and live my life. That’s what kind of a person I am. Skiing has saved the quality of my life, mentally and physically. I find a purpose in it.”
His famed Corbet’s jump is even more impressive when viewed from different perspectives/ angles.
Trevor is now training to make the U.S. Paralympic Team, with the goal of participating in downhill racing for the 2022 winter Olympic games. He continues to inspire skiers and snowboarders across the continent.
