Chumpy Pullin Foundation Honours Snowboarding Icon’s Legacy

May 27th, 2022
Welcome to Country at the Chumpy Pullin Foundation fundraiser in Sydney last week. Photo: Billie Acosta / @billielikes

Mountainwatch | News

It is almost two years since boardercross legend Alex “Chumpy” Pullin passed away in a diving accident, the two-time World Champion and three-time Olympian leaving a legacy in Australian snowboarding and snowsports that will be hard to match.

To ensure Chumpy’s legacy is ongoing, his wife Ellidy initiated the Chumpy Pullin Foundation the aim of which is to provide financial assistance and development opportunities for emerging snowboard athletes in Australia.

Chumpy had a clear vision for snowboarding and its future and the Foundation will assist the future of Australian snowsports athletes through five key pillars:

  • Youth Developmentfor Australia’s snowsports athletes focused at a community level.
  • There is ongoing support for marginalised communities,particularly women in sports and indigenous Australia.
  • Mental healthwith a focus on youth development.
  • Protection and offsetting of our natural environment.
  • Education and knowledge for snowsports for young athletes and their families.

 

Chumpy was always  focused on the future of snowboard cross. Here he coaches participants during “Chumpy€™s Boarding House” for emerging athletes at Mount Hotham in 2016. Photo: Brett Hemmings / Red Bull Content Pool

The Chumpy Pullin Foundation was quietly launched through its website earlier this year, but there was nothing quiet about the Foundation’s official launch at a Gala Dinner held at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney last week.  The event was sold out with 400 people attending, including 2022 Olympians Tess Coady, Valentino Guseli, Ben Tudhope and Josie Baff and a host of people from the snow industry. Surfing was also one Chumpy’s great passions and two-time World Champ Mick Fanning and professional big wave surfer Laura Enever, a close friend of Ellidy, also attended the night, participating in an entertaining panel Q&A with the snow athletes.

A Q&A with the athletes was a highlight of the night. Photo: @billielikes

The attendance at this inaugural event was a testament to Chumpy’s influence which is now carried on through the Foundation, his wife Ellidy Pullin and their baby, Mini Alex Pullin. Funds for the Foundation were raised through an auction and raffle, the big-ticket items included Chumpy’s signed Red Bull helmet which sold at auction for $16000, while one of Mick Fanning’s boards went for $6000. The main prize in the raffle was a Harley Davidson valued at $28,000, which was won by Laura Enever and she promptly donated it back to the Foundation.

 

Elllidy Pullin

The night was a celebration of Chumpy and his achievements and raised over $100,000. That money will be directed to future generations in snowsports, creating opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential regardless of their background. Chumpy will be long remembered as not only one of the greats of Australian snowsports, but someone who cared deeply about his sport, its future and its emerging athletes. The Foundation will ensure that legacy continues.

For further information and regular updates on the Foundation’s work head to Chumpy Pullin Foundation.