On the evening of December 25, 2019, snowboarding lost one of the most colorful, charismatic, creative, talented, and authentic individuals to ever strap in and send it. The joy of the holidays has suddenly been juxtaposed with sadness with the news that Jaeger Bailey took his own life in Mammoth Lakes, California on Christmas Day.
Seemingly from the moment his 2011 season edit dropped, Jaeger’s viral-ready trick regimen made his timelines required viewing for anyone looking to be dumbfounded, inspired, and entertained. Accomplishing Never-Been-Done’s was no big deal for Bailey, as he had an uncommon ability to flip on command, maintain board control while unstrapped, and handle kinks with confidence.
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While he competed in the X Games, both in Real Snow and in person, won rail jams like Hot Dawgz & Hand Rails, earned SNOWBOARDER’s Rookie of the Year award in 2013, and was featured in numerous films including The SNOWBOARDER Movie: Foreword and Think Thank’s Brain Dead Heart Attack, Jaeger is mostly remembered by the snowboarding masses for his endless stream of WTF moments, including but not limited to the Christ Air backflip, closeout hang-up frontflip, 540 erection plant, double-backie-to-knuckle-to-nollie-frontflip-out, and many, many, many more.
Ultimately, Jaeger’s legacy in snowboarding looms larger than his 5’2” height, but for those who knew him personally, his good nature, wide smile and fearless style will be what we miss the most.
From all of us at SNOWBOARDER over the past decade, we would like to thank Jaeger for all the laughs and good times. He will be deeply missed. We send our deepest condolences to Jaeger’s family and friends.
A Glimpse Into Jake Burton Carpenter’s Memorial Service at Stowe Mountain, VT
If you or anyone you know is in need of help or just someone to talk to, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can provide support and resources for people in distress, as well as friends and family. Click here or call 1-800-273-8255 for help and information.
This article originally appeared on Snowboarder.com and was republished with permission.
The post SNOWBOARDER Magazine Remembers Jaeger Bailey, 1993-2019 appeared first on Men's Journal.
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