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Charles Russell Johnson III (October 8, 1983 – February 24, 2010) was a skiing mastermind and a pioneer in the freeskiing movement.^[1] He became a top-notch competitor and a favorite in ski films.^[2] He was known for his progression, fearlessness, and passion for skiing.^[3] Johnson was also an extremely positive person who loved and lived life to the fullest.^[4]

Childhood

C.R. Johnson was born and raised in Truckee, Lake Tahoe California.^[5] He grew up skiing Squaw Valley Resort, a world-class ski area that is known for its extreme terrain. ^[6] At Squaw Valley, Johnson spent his time lapping the terrain park and charging difficult chutes and bowls.^[7] Johnson quickly developed a large range of tricks and excellent big mountain skills.^[8] In addition to skiing, Johnson enjoyed surfing, fly-fishing, traveling, and spending time with close friends and family.^[9]

Career

In 1999, Johnson emerged on the freeskiing scene when he spun a quadruple 360.^[10] The skiing community quickly recognized Johnson as a talented young star who could help progress free skiing.^[11] Johnson was a fearless skier willing to try any tricks and ski any backcountry lines.^[12] His passion for skiing and dedication to improve propelled him to become one of the best free skiers in the world.^[13] In 2001, Johnson placed first at the Core Games quarter pipe in Japan and podiumed at the Big Air Winter X Games in Mount Snow, Vermont. ^[14] The following year at the 2002 Winter X Games, Johnson won gold in big air and silver in slopestyle.^[15] In addition to his medals, ESPN Action Sports nominated Johnson for Male Skier of the Year.^[16] In 2003, Johnson won bronze at Winter X Games Superpipe.^[17] If it was not for him crashing on the lip of the pipe, Johnson might have gotten Gold over Candide Thovex.^[18] Regardless of the results, Johnson exemplified the future of half-pipe skiing by launching 20 feet above the pipe’s walls and landing technical tricks with many spins and intricate grabs.^[19] During this period, Johnson also spent time filming and producing ski segments with action sport producers like Matchstick Productions, Poor Boyz Productions, and Teton Gravity Research. ^[20] From 1999 until 2004, Johnson had a significant role in many ski films. ^[21] Some of his most notable segments were in films called “Front Line,” “Focused,” and “WSK 106.” ^[22]

Injury

On December 8, 2005 Johnson was filming his latest movie, Show and Prove when he suffered a life threatening injury.^[23] He was skiing at Brighton Ski Resort in Utah when he and four other skiers launched off a cliff one after the other.^[24] Johnson being the first one to descend stopped after landing to collect his gear when Kye Peterson struck him right below his helmet.^[25] The impact knocked Johnson unconscious for about three minutes.^[26] When help arrived he was immediately sedated and flown to the University of Utah Hospital.^[27] There he was put into intensive care but his recovery was questionable.^[28] For 10 days, Johnson remained in induced coma.^[29] However on December 18, 2005, Johnson opened his eyes halfway.^[30] Eight days later Johnson began whispering, eating, and moving both sides of his body.^[31] He was then moved out of the critical care unit to a neutral rehab where he began speech, physical, and occupational therapy.^[32] After being hospitalized for 34 days, Johnson was finally able to return home.^[33]

Comeback

Johnson was determined to start skiing again. ^[34] He was not going to let his life threatening injury, prevent him from doing what he loved.^[35] In 2007, Johnson began the ski season with the attitude and mindset that he would return to his original form.^[36] That November and December he spent six weeks in Colorado training half-pipe.^[37]Unfortunately, Johnson had a hard time progressing and decided he was not strong enough to compete.^[38] He then spent time traveling to different competitions, heli-skiing in British Columbia, and filming with Matchstick Productions. ^[39] At the end of the year, Johnson had overcome many mental hurdles and reestablished a new direction for his ski career.^[40] He decided to concentrate on filming and progressing his backcountry skiing. ^[41] In 2008 and 2009, Johnson continued to travel and film with several ski production companies.^[42] He continued to improve and in 2010 Johnson placed third at the Red Bull Line Catcher event in France. ^[43]

Death

On February 24, 2010, at age 26, Johnson died skiing at Squaw Valley Ski Resort in the Light Towers area.^[44] Witnesses said he caught his ski on an exposed rock which caused him to fall several hundreds yards down a ridge.^[45] The medical assistance showed up several minutes after the incident but pronounced him dead on the scene.^[46]

References