Having grown up in NSW’s Snowy Mountains with two Swiss born parents who have lived and breathed skiing their entire lives, it’s no wonder Australian freeskier Andrea Berchtold has made skiing his life for the past 18 odd years.
Andrea’s achievements are vast but don’t think for a second this goes hand-in-hand with egotism. Andrea’s modest demeanour is what sets him apart from a lot of other athletes. Freeskiing has become perhaps the most popular style/discipline of skiing worldwide and domestically in Australia we can thank Andrea for a big part for this. Andrea explains freeskiing has reinvigorated and revolutionised the skiing industry and has recaptured the youth market to make it ‘cool’ again to young people. “Skiing is very much alive and well again. Young kids want to be the next big thing in freeskiing. They want to travel the world skiing and gain recognition for their skills," he says.
What Andrea does comes with significant risks and he has had his fair share of injuries. Shoulder and knee reconstructions, various ankle operations, several head concussions, back injuries...the list goes on! “I have had some pretty bad injuries and plenty of time spent recovering but I guess I’ve been pretty lucky considering how much I’ve put my body through,” says Andrea.
In addition to skiing for Red Bull Australia, Andrea also works with the brand to come up with cool event ideas to ensure skiing in Australia continuously progresses. Some of the most recent events Andrea has had creative input in include Red Bull Rails and Red Bull Grom Search – a junior development program for up and comers.
When he’s not skiing for Red Bull down formidable big mountain lines or sliding rails in the park, Andrea works as a certified stunt man and stunt rigger on everything from Australian television shows to live performances and box office films. So what’s next for this pioneering skier slash stunt man? “...continue focusing on my skiing and learning new tricks whilst also building on my stunt work in Australia and hopefully overseas as well.”
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