The Academic
This is the instant before facing the bare force of nature. The silence is drowned by the hollow staccato of blood rushing to the head and the cold shiver running down the spine before you shift weight and let go. Charlie Timmins is about to let rip down an Alaskan mountainside.
Australia’s ski ace is about to conquer Alaska’s hidden treasure – Cordova. Nestled peacefully at the head of Orca Inlet in Prince William Sound, Cordova has a mystique of her own, dazzling you with glacier-carved mountains, wildlife-rich wetlands, lush forests, and countless waterways. At the moment, though, she is blending natural grandeur with pure adrenaline.
After winning last year’s “Fktor” Award at the World Heli Challenge in New Zealand, Charlie Timmins was rewarded with a week of Heliskiing in Alaska. As it turned out, the prize – given to the athlete showing the “most mind-blowing performance” – boosted Charlie’s career. He took the opportunity to promote himself in NZ’s vast Southern Alps and succeeded.
Today, the 21-year-old Aussie is leading the charge of a new wave of international big mountain skiers, dedicated to speed, style and skill. In Alaska, he is about to pass the final acid test. “The trip to Alaska has changed my perspective. I always thought Alaska was big, but when you get there, it’s a whole new level. The mountains are bigger, scarier and so much steeper than anything you have seen before,” Charlie says.
The Chugach, Wrangell, St Elias and Alaskan ranges converge in Wrangell-St Elias National Park, which at 13.2 million acres is the USA’s largest national park. Some of these mountains rise vertically with an elevation gain greater than that of the Himalayas. Time to fly.
It is the first time North Face athlete Charlie is skiing Alaska’s big league slopes, but he doesn’t show a sign of fear. It’s a long way from the 200-vertical-metre runs he grew up on in New South Wales. Everything about Alaska’s “white room” is huge, but Charlie carves confidently through the fresh, untouched powder on the south-eastern side of the Chugach Mountains. “I had to adjust my technique, hold back a bit more and be a lot more safety-conscious to avoid avalanches. It’s really important to listen to the guides, because they know best how to avoid dangers. Once you get used to it, however, it’s amazing.”
The heli-shuttle up the mountain and incredible view after bursting through a dense layer of vapour are a remarkable experience, but the 4000 vertical feet descent unleashes a new level of excitement.
“It’s stormy all the time, and you can’t see what you’re heading into. You can’t even see the line from the top as you can in other places. You have to take a photo of the descent or just memorise certain points you can see from the summit so you know where you are. Once you head off, it looks completely different,” Charlie says.
Growing up in Jindabyne, NSW, skiing has been in Charlie Timmins’ blood from day one. Yet, the quiet student does not appear to be one hell of a daredevil at first glance. Humble and circumspect, he is analytical, highly literate and less of a rogue than the average pro.
But, as soon as the bindings click, he transforms into a courageous young athlete, hungry for risk and sharp enough to alter a dangerous descent into a flamboyant party. In Alaska, he is now taking his hometown dominance to the next level, the northern hemisphere.
It might not be backcountry skiing, however, that will help Charlie make the breakthrough. “I am currently training in the half pipe to attend the next Winter Olympics,” he says. “I think I won’t be able to do as much freeriding as in the past, but I think it’s worth the sacrifice.”
His calm personality leaves no doubt that Charlie can master the transformation from alpine fearnought to halfpipe hero. After all, he is studying commerce while pursuing a pro career – a double burden few colleagues are bearing.
“I can get special consideration when I’m competing and the summer break coincides with the northern hemisphere winter, so I don’t have to worry about uni so much. It’s only during our winter that I have to balance my life,” Charlie explains. “I try to keep a foot in the door of real life, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever use my degree, to be honest. It’s too surreal to come back from Alaska and sit in the classroom or an office again. I want to ski until I’m old and grey and my knees stop working. In 20 years, hopefully, I will have made a significant contribution to the industry and helped young skiers to realise skiing is not about proving yourself, but shredding with friends and getting to know the mountains. And, wearing cool sunnies.”
Charlie started skiing when he was four years old. At age seven, he received his first pair of skis for Christmas. Showing natural ability, enthusiasm and no fear at all, he has continued to participate in anything that involves speed and danger, from freestyling to racing motorcycles to wakeboarding - and even trampolining.
“I think my halfpipe career can profit from such a background,” he says, pretending to be cold and calculating. But, he cannot hide the subtle, boyish smile that is able to say it all at once. It’s all about the rush of adrenaline. The fear. The fun. Life’s a ball, after all.
Story: Sebastian Grote
Images: Tony Harrington
