Interview with
CHARLIE RAPOSO
Alpine ski racer Charlie Raposo is GB’s leading Giant Slalom racer. He competed at his first World Championships aged 19 and his impressive run of results include wins at the North American and Far East Cups and a 17th place ranking in Parallel Giant Slalom World Cup. He has been GB’s top-rated giant slalom racer for the past eight years and was the first Briton to achieve a European Cup podium finish in Giant Slalom.
Knight Frank are proud to sponsor Charlie, supporting him as he pushes for the world’s top 30. We caught up with Charlie during training in Slovenia to quiz him on his remarkable sporting career.
Interview with
CHARLIE RAPOSO
Alpine ski racer Charlie Raposo is GB’s leading Giant Slalom racer. He competed at his first World Championships aged 19 and his impressive run of results include wins at the North American and Far East Cups and a 17th place ranking in Parallel Giant Slalom World Cup. He has been GB’s top-rated giant slalom racer for the past eight years and was the first Briton to achieve a European Cup podium finish in Giant Slalom.
Knight Frank are proud to sponsor Charlie, supporting him as he pushes for the world’s top 30. We caught up with Charlie during training in Slovenia to quiz him on his remarkable sporting career.
“‘It’s what keeps your head clear and your heart full and allows you to keep pushing. ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’ as they say.”
What is your first memory of skiing?
It’s such a vivid memory. I was seven years old and on Les Esserts, the beginner’s slope in Verbier with my step-father and my sister. I remember putting on my skis and I couldn’t stand up. I tried to side-step up the hill but kept falling over. Then, one hour later, I felt I was absolutely flying down, shredding turns. Of course I wasn’t but it is such a strong memory. I lost my father when I was young and spent every winter school holiday in Verbier where my step-father had a house. By the time I was 10, my ski instructor told my mother that I was as good as him and recommended I start ski racing. I competed in my first race when I was 11 and two years later I was racing internationally for GB. My first World Championships were in 2015 and my first World Cup in 2017
Which is more important, skill or determination?
It’s obviously a balance of both. Everyone racing at this level is talented. Competition might be in my blood because my mother was a competitive show jumper. For me, passion is a huge part of my success. Passion is what fuels the determination, fuels the resilience you need to fail time and time again. Ski racing is a sport where the failure-success ratio is outrageously high, the margins and variables make it a very savage game. But the passion for skiing is what started it all for me and what keeps me going. It’s what keeps your head clear and your heart full and allows you to keep pushing. ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’ as they say.
What do those final pre-race minutes feel like, standing at the start gate?
It’s a powerful moment. High-octane, high-stress. In my last World Cup race at Adelboden on one of the longest, fastest courses, the weather was bad, the slope was bumpy and the light was flat. I did the usual warm up but then the minutes leading up to the start are relatively chilled. My heart rate before I left the start gate, when I wasn’t even moving, was 177. To compare, when I’m sleeping it’s 40. Those last moments are all about the task at hand, thinking about the technical and tactical elements. No other thought could come in and distract you. All your senses – and your heartbeat - are heightened.
“It’s when I ski for fun that I truly appreciate the mountains. The freedom of being in the back country in powder snow with friends, away from civilisation, exploring the mountains on fat skis.”
What do you love about the mountains?
I grew up in the mountains and most of my favourite moments and memories are in the mountains. They embody me in every way. There’s an air of peace, tranquillity and natural power that I don’t feel anywhere else. It’s difficult with my job to always appreciate them because when we are on the hill there’s only one objective and everything is go-go-go. I’ve skied against some of the world’s most beautiful backdrops but I don’t kick out of the Adelboden start gate and think wow, that’s a good view on the right. It’s when I ski for fun that I truly appreciate the mountains. The freedom of being in the back country in powder snow with friends, away from civilisation, exploring the mountains on fat skis. It’s very different to the precise, controlled environment of ski racing.
What are your main goals for your sporting career?
Aged 8, I watched the 2004 Summer Games in Athens and I understood it was where all the very best sports people went and wanted to be part of that. Being an Olympian would be a dream come true, a long-held childhood goal but it is also part of my whole sporting journey. We’re lucky in ski racing to have a full-time World Cup tour every year where the depth of competition is even greater than at the Olympics. I have been inspired by Olympians and also so many great athletes across so many sports: Michael Schumacher, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Chris Hoy and Usain Bolt among them. As my career grew, I realised more and more just what it takes to be at the top of any elite sport.
“It’s an honour to be sponsored by such a prestigious brand and I am proud to have their support and carry their name on my helmet in all World Cup and World Championship races”
What does the association with Knight Frank mean for you.
It’s an honour to be sponsored by such a prestigious brand and I am proud to have their support and carry their name on my helmet in all World Cup and World Championship races. It shows their belief in me and what I am capable of achieving and their financial support allows me to follow my goals in ski racing. Our association started as the Knight Frank office opened in Verbier, a place that I love and know like the back of my hand. There’s nowhere like it. The free-skiing terrain is incredible and the town is amazing with so many fun people and a great atmosphere.
