Never too late — skier pursues dream

SALT LAKE CITY — At 18, Jason Frazier had to make a choice.

He could either prepare for a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or he could pursue his dreams of becoming an Olympic skier.

Though Frazier said choosing to serve a mission in upstate New York was simple, he still wonders what might have happened if he had continued skiing competitively.

The sudden death of his brother-in-law has inspired the now-33-year-old father of three to again pursue his dream.

In the past year, Frazier's grandmother passed away, his car was stolen and his house was broken into. But that wasn't even the worst of it.

On April 8, 2009, his brother-in-law Christopher "Blue" Christensen lost his job. The next day, Frazier lost his job, and later that week, his dad's company filed for bankruptcy.

On April 11, Christensen suffered a pulmonary embolism and passed away, leaving behind a wife and three young children.

"He was one of my closest friends," Frazier said.

Grieving the loss of her brother put Frazier's wife, Annie, into labor, and the couple's third child, Angus Blue, was born a few days later.

"It was like — kaboom — more than 10 years' worth of experiences just happened," the Sugar House resident said. "I just felt like life had beaten me up."

Suddenly, Frazier realized how short life can be. And he began to wonder what happened to the carefree ski bum he had once been.

Halfway through this year's ski season, Frazier threw his name back in the ring and signed up for the Free Skiing World Championships at Snowbird.

"The thing that kept me going was the thought of my brother-in-law," he said. "He was always such a big kid. He collected Legos and loved video games. He just knew how to always have fun."

In March's competition, Frazier said he was having the run of his life.

"It was the first time since I was 18 that I actually got butterflies in my stomach," he said.

Then, while attempting a cliff drop, Frazier heard a loud crack as the binding ripped off one of his skis. He finished the ski run on one leg and missed qualifying for the final by 0.5 points.

Despite not making it into the final round, Frazier was encouraged and decided to sign up for the entire Free Skiing World Tour for 2010-11.

"I need to do one thing that's for me," he said. "And I think going after this is that one thing."

Skiing is in Frazier's blood. His grandfather, Reed Walker, skied until he was 92 years old. This past season, was the first Walker had to miss because of deteriorating health. Walker instilled a great love and passion for the sport in Frazier, his siblings and his dozens of cousins.

"I've always known I was going to ski until the day I die," Frazier said. "It's literally my favorite thing to do."