Behind the Line: Tim Durtschi’s Chugach Masterpiece

Born and raised in Anchorage, professional skier Tim Durtschi is no stranger to Alaska’s towering mountain ranges. The Chugach Mountains, the picturesque peaks that loom over Anchorage’s horizon, are only one of the fourteen mountain ranges within the state’s borders. The Chugach range alone is larger than Switzerland, and much of the eastern section of the range is incredibly isolated and inhospitable; devoid of infrastructure and public accessibility. But for Durtschi, the Chugach is home. Having learned to ski at the early age of two at Alyeska, Alaska’s premiere ski resort just a 45 minute drive south of Anchorage, advancing to the unnamed peaks deep within the range was a natural progression.

The Chugach stands unrivaled as one of the world’s premiere destinations for big mountain heli-skiing (both Valdez and Cordova, unincorporated towns popular in the heli-skiing community, reside in the Chugach mountains).

Durtschi has been a member of the TGR family for over a decade, and has shot numerous films with our team in Alaska. Check out this behind the scenes look of the Atomic and Spyder athlete as we captured the action using the heli-mounted Gyro Stabilized Systems (GSS) camera during the shooting of TGR’s latest film, Magic Hour.