Jim Zellers
Since he first dropped in on a bindingless board in 1978, Jim Zellers’ life has been guided by snowboarding. From the early days in Tahoe to the first wave of Alaskan big mountain exploration to his current role as enabler of fun with his company High Camp, scheduled play has become a way of life for Zellers and his family. This is Jim Zellers’ life in the range of light.
Words: John Erben.
“One thing I’ve decided after going all over the world: I absolutely live in the right place. The Sierras are the best mountains for what I do.” – Jim Zellers
Jim Zellers grew up in Cupertino, CA, back when it was full of orchards, not Apple. He left after high school, right before his parents moved to San Diego. The friends he went to school with, skateboarded with, and rode bikes with are gone. Zellers still has friends who live near Cupertino, but Cupertino is different now. “Everybody left,” he says. “I never go back there.”
At 18 Zellers moved to Truckee, 10 minutes east of Donner Summit, the snowiest spot in California. Truckee is off Interstate 80 at 5,800 feet, where the highway turns to follow the Truckee River on its 30-mile slow descent into Reno. The river’s source, Lake Tahoe, is 20 miles upstream. Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are under a half-hour commute, Northstar is almost in Truckee and all these ski areas are on local bus routes.
Like many Bay Area kids, Zellers’ snow adventures began around Tahoe. He skied at first, but when he saw the $49.95 Tom Sims Ski Board in 1978, it proved irresistible. “It was basically a skateboard on a sled,” Zellers says. It worked, but not well enough that Squaw Valley wanted them on their main hill. “They sent us over to the powder side – which wouldn’t happen today,” he says…