C. R. Johnson - Career

Career

In 1999, Johnson emerged on the freeskiing scene when he successfully landed a 1440. The skiing community quickly recognized Johnson as a talented young star who could help progress free skiing. Johnson was a fearless skier willing to try any tricks and ski any backcountry lines. His passion for skiing and dedication to improve propelled him to become one of the best free skiers in the world. 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. The following year at the 2002 Winter X Games, Johnson won silver in slopestyle. In addition to his medals, ESPN Action Sports nominated Johnson for Male Skier of the Year.< In 2003, Johnson won bronze at Winter X Games Superpipe. If it was not for him crashing on the lip of the pipe, Johnson might have gotten Gold over Candide Thovex. 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. 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. From 1999 until 2004, Johnson had a significant role in many ski films. Some of his most notable segments were in films called “Front Line,” “Focused,” and “WSK 106.”