Kai Jones’ Big Mountain Classroom
Kai Jones loves birthdays, but not just for the parties. May 5th, 2023, his 17th, marked the day he walked again after the worst day of his life. It was a sure sign that he would ski again.
Two months earlier, Kai was deep in the Teton backcountry shooting for Teton Gravity Research’s film Legend Has It in a zone he had skied dozens of times before. He dropped into the steep, pillowed face, a technical but familiar line. He felt confident, and his turns, graceful beyond his years, showed it. He aired deep, but clipped a rock on landing and started tumbling. When he came to a stop at the base of the apron, he was in the worst pain he’d experienced in his entire life. It felt like both of his legs had exploded.
After a swift heli evacuation and multiple emergency surgeries, the outlook was grim. He’d shattered both growth plates in his knees—not ideal for a teenager, much less a teenager whose entire life revolved around skiing. Lying in his hospital bed, “I had the realization that I might not ever walk again,” he recalls.
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