Six years ago, Jim Harris’ life made an abrupt turn. In 2005 he graduated from college with degrees in Biology and Fine Art. Before starting grad school, he elected to be a ski bum for a winter first, skiing by day and tuning skis at night. Soon Harris was working as an outdoor educator, teaching mountaineering courses with Outward Bound and Alaska Mountain Guides in the summer and avalanche safety classes with AIARE during winter months. He has yet to make it to grad school.
In 2009 Jim spent a month backpacking in a seldom-traveled region in Alaska and the photos he posted online when he got home went viral, making the front page of Reddit twice. The post attracted the attention of pro skiers who invited him on a ski mountaineering trip. So, Harris bought an inexpensive SLR camera and became the expedition’s photographer. Powder Magazine published those photos in a 14-page story Harris wrote about the trip. Other opportunities for photo and video work soon followed. The trips got more exotic and his client list grew to include National Geographic, Camp 4 Collective, and dozens of magazines and outdoor brands.
In the fall of 2014, Harris traveled to Chile for an expedition he and frequent travel partner Forrest McCarthy had dreamed up. The idea was to ski and packraft 350 miles down the length of the Patagonian Ice Cap. Practicing with a snow kite just before their departure, Harris fractured 9 vertebrae and was paralyzed from sternum down. It was an abrupt end not just to his photo and video livelihood, but to his mobility in the mountains too.
Improbably, Harris began to wiggle a toe several weeks later. Soon more muscles began to twitch and six months after his spine injury, Harris was upright with aid from a walker. On the one year anniversary of his accident, he and his brother Kyle skied the bunny slope while evening news cameras rolled. Since then, Harris has continued to push the limitations of his disability via mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and surfing.
The visibility of Harris’ recovery attracts news pieces and social media followers. It also acts as a beacon for individuals with similar injuries, so Harris began working as a mentor to athletes with hopes for nerve injury recovery. That media prominence also garnered the attention of outdoor brands when Yeti Cycles invited Harris to their ambassador team.
It’s unlikely that Jim Harris will return to mountain guiding or expedition photo work; the athleticism he once possessed may be lost forever. It is his enduring traits including curiosity, tenacity, and a desire for human connection that continue to lead Harris towards new and exciting experiences.
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