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Skiing off 200-foot cliffs and turning a couple of flips before exploding in a powder dust cloud for the camera is nothing compared to the jump Salt Lake skier Julian Carr made into his own business.

The 32-year-old professional skier from Salt Lake City, known for flipping off of cliffs that usually require a parachute, started Discrete, a headwear company, as a creative outlet during those long summer days and as a way to make his mark in the ski industry.

Carr started Discrete in 2008 with zero start-up capital using extra cash earned serving patrons at the now-defunct Sky Box at the Gateway.

The name and logo come from a Discrete Structures class Carr took during his last semester at the University of Utah.

"I liked the concept of discrete principles," Carr said. "Completely separate, not connected to anything. That was an awesome meaning to apply to a clothing company."

At a time when a lot of ski companies were making loud, in-your-face clothing and apparel, Carr saw a need for simplicity. He bought as many wholesale blank hats as he could and stitched on the new logo.

Carr known in the skiing world as one of the craziest people to ever have two planks on his feet, attracted a lot of other personalities.

"I brought a bunch of my skier and snowboarder friends over to my house and wrote everyone out a bunch of [sponsorship] contracts," he said.

Sponsoring other locals like Ben Wheeler, Nick and Rob Greener, Jamie Pierre and Cody Barnhill brought a face and legitimacy to the brand.

Carr turned the chairlift into his office, writing e-mails and discussing business decisions between skiing and launching off cliffs.

"I love being up in the mountains skiing and having the time of my life," Carr said. "On the chairlift I can maintain my business communications; I get home and take care of any computer-intensive e-mails or shipping."

In Carr's mind, the more credibility he has as a pro skier, the more credibility Discrete has. Working almost obsessively around the clock while balancing his ski career to make Discrete a recognizable brand has paid off. The company now has 20 styles of headwear and is starting a line of T-shirts. Discrete is launching men's and women's woven shirts, flannels and hoodies in 2012.

Carr and pro skier Jen Hudak, his girlfriend, come up with designs for the hats, clothing and apparel.

"Sometimes I don't know if I'm dating Julian Carr or if I'm dating Discrete Headwear," Hudak said. "It's something that he loves, that he's created, it's an extension of himself."

The Discrete Skier

One might think that someone who owns a world record for front flipping a 210 cliff is fueled by adrenaline, but in Carr's case it's rather the contrary.

"[Before I drop a cliff] there's no feeling nervous and then talking myself into it," Carr said.

His crazy cliff jumps come down to science for him. He knows the snowpack, the trajectory, the landing spot, how to land so that his knees don't break his nose and orbital lobe. Perhaps most important, Carr knows he is going to survive.

"I'm not interested in adrenaline to fuel this stuff," Carr said. "I'm interested in thinking as hard as I can about the boundaries of what people think is normal and crazy and exploring that boundary."

Carr built his confidence up from starting off small, jumping off 5-foot to 10-foot cliffs, and eventually graduated to greater heights.

"Honestly, people seeing him that calm [before he jumps off a cliff] would probably make people think he's even more crazy," Hudak said.

The Discrete Individual

It would be a mistake to say that "the flying Yeti" — Carr's nickname from frequently wearing a big furry one-piece ski suit on the slopes and in the bars — is only known for his on-hill antics.

"He's a super funny guy," said pro skier Dash Long, who is also a member of Discrete's pro team. "He has this way about him. He can get his friends to do anything."

Carr's fun personality makes him an extremely likable guy, which is why when he faced a huge disaster, and what could have been the end of Discrete, his friends were there, large in numbers and close in distance.

Right after the company was launched in 2008, Carr was at the height of his skiing career, filming for Warren Miller in the backcountry around Solitude resort with his business partner Billy Pool. The two best friends a had moment hiking back up to join the film crew after dropping a cliff.

"[Billy and I] just laughed about how great life was," Carr said.

In his next shot, Carr hit a tree, resulting in a completely blown knee, torn meniscus, torn calf muscle and torn popliteus muscle.

Two days later, Pool passed away on a bluebird powder day miscalculating a line in Utah's backcountry.

"I have chosen to celebrate his passing for all the infinite amounts of reason I don't know the answers to," Carr said. "Rather than focus on sorrow for the reasons I know and miss him for." —

Where to buy Discrete

Backcountry.com, Sports Den, Lift House, Milosport, Ski N See, Cliff Sports, Deep Powder House, Peruvian, Raunch Records, SLCitizen at the downtown Salt Lake Library, Legacy Sports in Park City, Park Sportsman and B.O.P. in Provo.