FUCK!!! All over again. Goodbye CR.

[stomp]

horrible, soul destroying news. fuck.

+++vibes to his family and friends.

RIP CR and thanks for blazing the trail.

[SheSkisTrees]

I have been close to CR for 10 years now and I just want everyone to know that he truly was the most amazing person and had the best outlook on life. He was a joy to be around and brought the stoke everytime. When I saw him in the hospital during his coma, I just prayed we would be able to ski pow again together. that prayer was answered and we enjoyed many good days over the last few years. Here is some footage of our most recent shred, just 2 weeks ago. Rest in Peace CR

Super G, thanks for posting that. Great to see CR out skiing with a friend on a powder day. Man, that brought tears to my eyes. I know, I'm a chick and we do that. But it's nice to see you got the chance to ski with him one last time. You looked like you were both having a great time.

I never met CR but the tributes here tell me he was a special young man. It's clear the world will not be the same without him. RIP.

Sending peace and strength to you, huckasoreass, CR's family and many friends.

[2nd mate]

Thanks Super G. Watching the vid made me think about how great it is skiing with people who really make everyone else feel great around them. I felt a real positive stoke from that vid..... a lot like I felt today. Today I skied with my skiing hero(it had been few years) and is weird that it was him that first broke the news to me about CR yesterday. ++++VIBES++++ to the MSP family and all of CR's friends and family. RIP Man.

[dvlr]

His ski buddies that day were some of his best friends. they waited and waited just down from where the patrol were working to save CR's life. then I guess patrol asked them to leave so they could do what they had to do. they skied off in a very sparse style of skiing, without the usual joy, and one guy shouted as loud and long as he could: "fuuuuuuuck!". Then I knew for sure what had happened. So terribly sad to lose a great man like CR. The Squaw family is totally aching.

[millfiger]

thanks also Super G - vibes to all that need them - remember how good you have it next time you slide the snow

[LightRanger]

Super G, a very fitting tribute.

Like others have said, great vibe in that video. I love those types of days--skiing around with your friends, popping off stuff, and just generally having fun.

[tom111869]

I just read this article on SierraSun.com and thought I'd paste it for all your eyes-

Freeskiing pioneer C.R. Johnson remembered for positive outlook on life
By Sylas Wright
Sierra Sun

C.R. Johnson grew up skiing at Squaw Valley USA, where he made a name for himself as a young prodigy in the park and pipe.

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Those who called C.R. Johnson a friend remember the Truckee skier not only for his contributions to the freeskiing movement, but also for his genuine kindness, his smiling face and his positive outlook on life.

“He was grateful for everything he had,” said close friend Scott Gaffney of Tahoe City. “He definitely didn't take life, and his way of life, for granted.”

Johnson, who made a name for himself as a teenager as one of the most progressive freeskiers in the industry, was killed in a skiing accident Wednesday at Squaw Valley USA. He was 26.

According to a Squaw press release, witnesses reported Johnson was skiing the Light Towers area near Headwall when he caught an edge on some exposed rock as he initiated a turn. He fell and impacted several rocks before coming to rest several hundred yards below.

Jim Rogers, a member of Squaw's ski patrol, told the Associated Press he tumbled face-first, then spun around and hit the back of his head on rocks. Johnson was wearing a helmet, which Rogers said took a serious blow.

Medical personnel arrived within minutes, but he died on the slopes, said Placer County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Ausnow. An autopsy Thursday morning concluded Johnson died as a result of blunt force cranial cerebral trauma, according to the Placer County Coroner's office.

Gaffney, the co-director of Matchstick Productions, said the North Lake Tahoe community lost “an inspiration and a happy person” in Johnson, who always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude.

“I'm going to remember a lot of things about C.R.; we traveled all over the world together. But I think the thing most people are going to remember is his smiling face,” Gaffney said. “He was a pretty special person, especially after his injury several years ago. He just had the greatest outlook on life and was happy to be doing what he was doing.”

Before a December 2005 skiing accident that left him in a coma for 10 days, Johnson was a regular halfpipe contender in Winter X Games competitions, and is credited for being the first skier to land a 1440 (four rotations) in the park, at age 15.

In that 2005 accident, Johnson suffered a severe head injury while filming at Brighton Ski Resort in Utah. It was a freak incident, as Johnson and several other skiers were jumping off a small natural feature in succession when Johnson fell at the front of the line, and a trailing Kye Petersen collided into him, opening a gash above his eyebrow and knocking him unconscious.

He was released from the hospital after a 34-day stay, then returned to Truckee to continue therapy with Ladd Williams of Bear Bones Physical Therapy.

The following winter, after steady progression in his recovery, Johnson dedicated a six-week trip along with friend Tanner Hall to re-learning his tricks in the halfpipe. But he never overcame his fear returning to the freestyle discipline he helped pioneer, and soon gave up halfpipe skiing altogether.

“It didn't really come back to me,” Johnson said in a 2006 Sierra Sun interview. “I got to a certain point that was nowhere near where I used to be in the pipe, and then I stopped progressing. So I gave up the idea of trying to compete in halfpipe.”

Johnson instead pursued filming as he took his skiing away from the pipe and park and into the backcountry. Having grown up skiing at Squaw, the X Games medalist was no stranger to big-mountain lines from an early age, either, despite his exploits in the park. As Squaw Valley big-mountain skier and childhood friend Cody Townsend pointed out, Johnson was a pioneer of the sport in multiple facets back in the late 1990s and into the new century.

“His contribution to skiing is almost underrepresented,” said Townsend, who became friends with Johnson at age 10. “The stuff he did in the halfpipe, he paved the way for what Simon Dumont and Tanner Hall are doing now. And the stuff he did on kickers paved the way for everyone, guys like Jon Olsson, because he was doing stuff off kickers that is still progressive today.

“And then, way before people were even really talking about bringing tricks to the backcountry, he was doing that. He's such a pioneer in all aspects of skiing.”

This season Johnson was reportedly skiing strongly, as he recorded a third-place finish behind Candide Thovex and Sean Pettit in the Red Bull Linecatcher competition in the French Alps in January. Gaffney described the event as a freestyle big-mountain contest, with jumps built atop cliff-drops.

He said Johnson was thrilled to perform as well as he did — a sign he was finally returning to his old form.

“He said it was so incredibly rewarding to be back in that position,” Gaffney said.

Johnson's friends said especially after his head injury, he lived every day to the fullest, always enjoying the life skiing afforded him.

“I think since his accident — I mean, he was always a cool guy and really nice — but after that he was one of the most genuine, loving people you could ever meet,” Townsend said. “Here's a guy who came back from near death and had very trying times trying to get back to the top where he was, and there wasn't a shred of bitterness. There was no guy who was more stoked on life than C.R.”

[str8line]

Thanks for posting that Tom. What a great spirit CR had.

[truth]

Remembering CR Johnson ~ SKIING Mag.com

[truth]

crjohnson.org

[Blurred]

I haven't read this entire thread, but I was moved by Alkas blog post here-
http://www.codytownsend.com/

These subjects are tough for me to post about. I never knew CR personally, but I was there that night at the US Open in Vail when he won the Big Air event. After throwing his winning air, he was down at the finish area, where everybody was crowding around him in celebration. While everyone was super stoked for him yelling and screaming at him, he looked to the stars that night, clearly thanking someone much bigger than all of us...it seemed surreal to me. I'm not even sure anyone else noticed. It was at that moment that I personally realized CR's character, and I've never forgotten that moment. What a very cool person.

If someone has a hi8/dig8 camera I could borrow, I'd pull the footage off the tape of the event as I just described...that's how I remember CR. RIP man.

[Game Over]

thanks for posting that Blurred.

nice words alka.

[tomi25]

Thanks for posting, Alkas words really moved me.
Rest in peace CR

[pappag]

I know it's been 6 months, but watching CR's segment in Seven Sunny Days is heart wrenching after all he went through at the time to get back into the game. With the new season approaching, we should start to think about all those gone to better places.

[kevok2]

With the new season approaching, we should start to think about all those gone to better places.

I wrote this for a kid on Silverfish, the longboarding forum; he kind of reminded me of CR. I don't know, it's kind of relevant here.

http://kevok2.blogspot.com/2010/08/h...day-peter.html

Squaw was silent when I hiked around it a few weeks ago, moreso because CR won't be shredding it this year.

[sklar]

bumping this

one year ago tomorrow, RIP

[OUgetsdown]

"I would break every bone in my body to have him back" - Tanner Hall

Shredding for CR this weekend, I hope you all get the chance to as well.

RIP CR you were an inspiration, I hope the pillows stretch on for eternity where you are.

[shredGenius]

RIP CR. An inspiration for sure. What an influence he was on the skiing community. His passion and love for skiing and life were unrivalved. I know it has probably been said a million times on here but, "The joy I get from skiing is worth dying for". Every time I hear that, I get the chills up my spine.

[iburson]

1 year. So sad. I remember my mom reading me the newspaper article, i just stared. teary eyed at my copy of seven sunny days. Thinking that i've skied that very run where he died. and that i've seen him ski that run at least 10 times.

RIP 1 year

[sklar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2RmG...layer_embedded