Just over a week ago, the international freeskiing community lost a handful of inspirational people, Whats left is a hollowness within the hearts of those who knew them and people who didn't, with thousands paying homage to the riders through images, videos, and words online as well as through events and initiatives across the world.
It has taken me a few days to come up with something to say about what has happened. Part of me doesn't feel qualified to have an emotional response: I'd like to pay my respects by keeping my distance - by not pretending I knew more about them than I did. Other people do quite the opposite. Some find solace in openly sharing and distributing memories, opinions and thoughts on those lost - but in the back of my mind, I've always found it hard to connect to the online condolences of strangers for a person they may never have met.
Despite this, icons of an era - or even an industry - do have a profound effect on groups and individuals alike. Looking up to someone as a figure of inspiration immediately connects you to that person - and its clear that JP (in particular) really did inspire a lot of people.
His death has educated me further. An archive of wonderful images, videos and memories have had me hooked for days; I've been watching edits and reading about skiing more than ever - and I've not just been focusing on features profiling JP. Somehow, this terrible tragedy has reconnected me with a community and an interest that I haven't been giving enough back to. The death of these skiing heroes (who were also incredible people in their own right) seems to have encouraged everyone to use their voices a little more, even if only to share a few quiet thoughts on what's happened over the last few days.
The result is a very clear demonstration of the extended community we are all a part of. The way that skiing manages to transcend cultural (or any other kind of) difference continues to fascinate and delight me, and it is especially in times of reflection like this that our sport drives an even stronger sense of unity.
There are many ways to express yourself in life, but finding a way to physically illustrate your soul is a blessing that I cannot convey the value of enough. It would seem as though people like JP have found a way to do this. Skiing with passion, creativity and meaning will always be recognised - but perhaps more importantly, it will always be respected. I hope that we can all approach the international freeskiing community in the same way as individuals like JP approached the sport: lets maintain the connections that this great loss has provided.
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