Climbing Every Mountain In His Own Way

Upon initial consideration, you may not think that an Olympic ski jumper and a entrepreneur have all that much in common. Backcountry.com's founder Jim Holland will convince you otherwise. For Jim, his background as a competitive athlete - and particularly the obstacles that he had to overcome along the way - helped him become the person he is today.   

Back when he was just 19 years old, Jim suffered terrible injuries after a nightmare of a fall during a training session in Lake Placid. For many, this would've been the end of a career, but for Jim, it was just the beginning. 

"Ironically, I think that the painful grind that I faced in rebounding from that accident made me stronger...Having to fight back from that shifted my perspective, made me more tenacious, more persistent."

The "grind" that Jim endured on his way back to a very successful career in ski jumping prepared him for the long days and tireless work ethic that it takes to start a business from nothing. As an avid outdoors and adventure lover, Jim knew he needed to pursue a career that would fuel his passion. With the help of a longtime friend, he set out on a mission to provide people with gear, grit, and a connection to the outdoors. This was back in 1996, before people really understood the internet, but Jim and John had the foresight, the passion, and the hustle to build the foundation for what would grow into the world’s leading outdoor online retailer, Backcountry.com.

In more recent years, Jim has had to take on a new kind of challenge: Parkinson's disease. But just like his crash in Lake Placid, this isn't holding Jim back from actively pursuing an adventurous lifestyle and chasing his goals. 

The challenge attached to what scares him—that’s Jim’s motivator. And now he’s ready to take on his next big challenge; Jim wants to do his part to find a cure for Parkinson's. That’s the GOAT he’s chasing.

Head to Backcountry's site for more #GOATworthy stories. #ChaseYourGOAT