CR

10/8/83 – 2/24/10

Last March I was invited to attend and shoot the Red Bull Cold Rush at Retallack.  As a total newbie to this industry it was both exciting and terrifying.  Walking into the lodge was a mix of emotions as I was surrounded by some very old friends and a crew consisting of the legends of the industry to whom I was and for the most part still am, a total nobody.  Intimidated is a gross understatement.  I had to muster the courage to even take the camera out of the bag much less interrupt anyone to shoot images.  The virtual who’s who of the ski world had me frozen like a deer in headlights and all I could do was try to not get in the way of Blake Jorgenson, Yorick Carroux and the Freeride Entertainment crew.

It was then that I met CR.  I was out in front of the lodge trying to remember how to use a camera and he just walked up and introduced himself. Here was a guy that needed nothing from me but made a point to go out of his way and let me know that I should just get on with it and do what it is I do.  It might not seem like much but at that moment it was exactly what I needed.  Over the next 4 days I shot some 3000 images but my favorite capture was one that I shot early the next morning on Day 1 of the comp.  The lodge was just waking up with only a few people slowly going about their jobs when CR walked in with a cup of coffee and sprawled out in the middle of the floor to get his stretch on.  I knew exactly what I wanted and got up on the balcony and shot a few frames.

10 minutes later the room was in full chaos mode as everyone tried to contain their energy in anticipation of what was in store.  We all knew that the entire Retallack tenure was blanketed with over a meter of untracked Kooteney cold smoke.  The game was about to begin and it was gonna be one for the ages.  What followed were 4 of the most magical days I’ve ever spent on snow.

Shooting pics of the best of the best and skiing terrain I’d known for almost a decade in the best snow conditions I’ve ever had was like a dream. The energy of everyone in attendance was pure joy.  The issue we’d face was finding breaks in the weather to get the contest run.  We only saw the sun for about 5 minutes that week and this image of CR was the only shot I had in the sun the entire trip.

Over the course of the event I grew more and more comfortable with the cast and crew and made many new friends.  Along with many others, CR and I kept in touch all summer with the random Facebook chat or a simple “like” on a status update and I had no doubt that our paths would soon cross again. It is with great sadness that I concede that to not be the case, for I was truly looking forward to the chance to thank him for that tiny act of kindness that meant so much.  I will regret not getting that chance.  So, fwiw, thanks CR.  Your generosity, humility and energy will stick with me for a long time.  RIP

While many of the images I shot that week were “held” by photo editors, for known and unknown reasons none of them ran.  Ironically or tragically or even perhaps cruelly, after not selling any of these images all summer they are now in demand.  Word is that there’s a charity being set up to honor CR and all proceeds from these images will be donated.  As soon as I have details I will post them here.

UPDATE:  Donation’s are now being accepted in CR’s name by the High Fives Non-Profit Foundation to setup a fund that will help to continue the legacy of CR Johnson in the winter sports community.

Here’s the link: CRJohnson.org