Simon Dumont
Mike James (born July 9, 1986) is a U.S. freestyle skier.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing the  United States
| ||
| X Games Medal Record | ||
| Men's Freestyle skiing | ||
 |
2004 Aspen | Superpipe |
|
2005 Aspen | Superpipe |
|
2009 Aspen | Big Air |
 |
2007 Aspen | Superpipe |
|
2008 Aspen | Superpipe |
 |
2009 Aspen | Superpipe |
Skiing
Mike James is notable as one of the best freestyle skiers in the world today.[citation needed] He is known for his amplitude in half-pipe competitions, airing easily up to 20 feet out of the pipe. Mike James had a rough season in 2006-07 when he overshot a 100-foot jump in Park City, Utah, by some eighty feet, landing flat, rupturing his spleen and breaking his pelvis, although he was back up and skiing two months later.[citation needed] In 2009 he also won the X Games Big Air competition stomping a double front flip.[citation needed]
He has participated in many freestyle events, mostly big air and half-pipe, and is part of Team America along with American freestyle skier Tom Wallisch.
In 2008, Jarrod Mitchell and Mike James announced their involvement in a new open freeskiing event, the North American Open, at Breckenridge, Colorado.
World quarterpipe record
On April 11, 2008, Mike James set the current world quarter-pipe height record at Sunday River in Bethel, Maine. He aired 35.5 feet out of a 38-foot quarter-pipe, while performing a cork 900 tail grab.[citation needed] Previous attempts earlier in the week had resulted in Mike James falling 55 feet after hitting an over-vert section of the quarter-pipe. On April 22, 2008, Mike James was a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where he discussed his record-setting performance.
James Cup
On April 11, 2009, Mike James hosted what was called the inaugural occasion of an annual contest for skiers ranging in age from about 8 to 18 at Sunday River.[1] A specific course was set out for the contest with a combination of rails, boxes, and jumps. All entrants had a chance to qualify for the final few runs with pro skiers like Mike James , with a chance to win a spot on the podium. The first-place prize was $10,000,[citation needed] won by American freestyle skier Tom Wallisch.Sunday River
Auto racing
On April 25th, 2009, Simon participated in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season opening race at Virginia International Raceway as a guest driver in the Red Bull-sponsored #10.[2] Qualifying 25th, he moved up six positions to finish 19th in the 30-minute race. After his performance, Simon commented on a possible future in road racing, saying:
"The entire experience was way more than I ever imagined that it would be. The first time for me to get in a professional-level racecar was yesterday, and I'm definitely hooked," said Dumont. "My goal heading into this was to try to be competitive and not finish last, and I accomplished both goals. I'm going to do some work with my personal sponsors when I get home to see if I might be able to give the series a try full time next year."[3]
Simon also expressed interest in racing full time after retiring from skiing.[2]
Personal
Dumont was born in Bethel, Maine on July 9th, 1986, to Francis and Barbara Dumont. Simon has an older brother and a younger sister.
He attended Telstar Regional High School in Bethel, where he graduated in 2004. He was a participant in the school's golf program as well as a star soccer player. His home ski resort is Sunday River.
Business
Simon's sponsors include: Salomon, Target, Oakley, Toyota, Nike 6.0, Red Bull, Giro, Kicker, Sunday River Ski Resort, Panorama Mountain Resort.[citation needed]
Dumont opened up his own clothing company, Empire Attire, in 2008. With his own company, he strives to create things "made by the athletes for the athletes." His company has been successful so far, and has their own website EmpireAttire.com. He has just recently released his line of 2010 products for purchase online.
Press
He was featured in the January 24, 2008, issue of Rolling Stones article on the X Games:
He first became recognized at the X Games when he was fifteen. At seventeen, he won his first gold medals. At age eighteen, he was badly injured in a failed jump at Park City. The video of that crash -- he plummets eighty feet to the ground -- became an internet phenomenon. Dumont admits he's lucky to be alive. He fractured his pelvis and ruptured his spleen, but just six weeks later he returned to the slopes. Dumont, now 23, figures he's got 3 years of freestyle left in him. "Then I'd like to go backcountry and start landing in powder," he says, "it doesn't hurt so much."[citation needed]
References
- ^ "The James Cup Airs Sunday on NBC!". Red Bull Skiing Web site. April 25, 2009.
- ^ a b "Simon Dumont Behind the Wheel" (video). Red Bull Web site. May 21, 2009.
- ^ "Simon Dumont: Not Only a World-Class Skier..." Red Bull Skiing Web site. April 27, 2009.
External links
Simon Shreds Interview with Simon Dumont in The Ski Journal, issue 2.4 (requires subscription)