Skippress - Index

Skippress - SkiPress US Vol.7 No.3 - Index

Growing up
46
FROM ROCK STARS TO MENTORS —
JEREMY NOBIS AND TOMMY MOE
BY MICHEL BEAUDRY
THEY’RE BIG BOYS, THEY’RE BAD BOYS, THEY’RE BOYS. OR ARE THEY?
MICHEL BEAUDRY REVISITS SKIING’S NOTORIOUS BROS.
They’ve known each other since they were 11 years old. And their ski careers
have run similar paths. They were named to the National Team at the same
time. Won titles at the same Junior World Championships in ’89. Even
made a deal with the US Team so they could train together, despite the
fact that one was a speed skier and the other did technical events.
But the relationship goes much deeper than that, says Tommy Moe. If it
hadn’t been for Jeremy Nobis’ infl uence, chances are Tommy would have
never won downhill gold at the Lillehammer Olympics. Say what? “I was
always inspired by Jeremy’s intensity and work ethic,” explains the easygoing
Alaskan. “We were both really competitive. Jeremy was a great skier,
and he kept me honest. If I hadn’t made the move to leave the downhill
squad in the early ’90s to train with him and coach Tor Kallerud, I
wouldn’t have won shit…”
He smiles. “People forget sometimes that Jeremy was one of the best GS
skiers in the world during those years.”
Alas, Jeremy’s fi nal years on the US Team proved to be less than wondrous
for the hard-nosed charger. While his friend basked in the glory of his
Olympic performance, Nobis languished in the nearly-there. So he quit.
Ironically, a move into the free-form world of big-mountain skiing — and
a long association with legendary fi lmmakers Teton Gravity Research —
has brought him as much recognition with the New School crew as his
buddy’s gold medal has with the more conventional ski set. Indeed, it
might be argued that Nobis is now the more recognized skier of the two…
at least for those under 30.
Which has brought its own blessings — and curses. “Ours is a lifestyle
where you’re encouraged to live at full throttle,” says Jeremy. “And I took
full advantage of it. I was pretty much free to do exactly what I wanted.
And I wasn’t ready to listen to anyone telling me I needed to shift down
and apply a little more control.”
It all came crashing down in the spring of 2006. Jeremy got busted for
driving under the infl uence in his hometown of Park City. A car chase
through a shopping mall a 12-week jail term and stringent court conditions
(regular alcohol and drug testing) delivered the slap in the face that
Jeremy now says was exactly what he needed. But it sure wasn’t easy.
Still. He didn’t whine. He didn’t complain. He didn’t blame anyone else.
Jeremy paid his dues and moved on. “The hardest thing to deal with was
just how humiliating it was. It really made me aware of my impact on
people – both positive and negative.”
He stops speaking for a moment. Lets out a long sigh. “I guess the biggest
lesson for me was realizing that going full throttle had started to change
who I was.”
To be fair, there was never any lack of ‘friends’ ready to ride on his party
coattails. Ski buddies, industry insiders, groupies — they all wanted to
Photo: Tom Evans