By Andrew Tan

Kai Jones, a pro skier tries not to scare his parents while skiing on Smart Bastard.

When he was an 11-year-old sixth grader, he said that his dream was to ski on a 35-foot mountain cliff in Wyoming known as “Smart Bastard.” Kai had started skiing when he was 2. He won the International Freeskiers Association’s North American championship for skiers under the age of 12. Nowadays, you can film a video anytime. So, Kai can post a video of him doing a backflip. If he posts by morning his followers have seen it by noon. Before, in the 1970’s you had to bring cameras up to take a video was extremely hard, since you had to drag gear up a windswept mountain. Todd Jones says, “The internet has changed everything, now it’s kids inspiring kids.” Some of his friends say that he only has what he has because of his dad. Kai credits his dad and also works his butt off. He gets up before the sun rises, and has done at least 5,000 backflips so far. Kai has had no goals set for the future. He might quit skiing if it isn’t fun anymore, on the other hand he wants to become a skiing legend. However, Tanner Hall, a professional skier, says that social media is a major distraction. This generation is extremely different since technology is more advanced. Kai might put too much effort in social media and not put as much effort in skiing than social media. Kai’s future is unpredictable.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/03/sports/skiing/kai-jones-skiing-tricks.html