To the Australian public Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin was the face of winter athletics; a man who could do remarkable things on the snow.
But the three-time Olympian’s interests stretched far wider than just snowboarding. He was a sing-songwriter and had passion for all things outdoors, in particular anything that got him out on the water.
An avid surfer, Pullin was also a keen spearfisher and tragically that hobby led to his passing on Wednesday.
Pullin was reportedly found unresponsive on the ocean floor on the Gold Coast by another fisherman, suffering a suspected shallow water blackout while spearfishing.
He had been out in the water with friends just two days ago and posted his most recent spearfishing photo a fortnight ago.
“Unreal day in the ocean! Whales singing & breaching all around us, hanging with great people, plus bringing home plenty of fish for the week,” Pullin posted on Instagram earlier in the week.
The Australian icon was also passionate about his music, releasing the three-song album Cruiser Fuse with his band ‘Chumpy and the Sunsetaroonies’ in 2018.
Pullin represented Australia in three Olympic Games and was the nation’s flag-bearer at Sochi 2014.
He was a two-time world champion in snowboard cross and one of Australia’s most popular and high profile winter athletes.
A skier from the age of three, Pullin was encouraged to make the shift to snowboarding by his family as an eight-year-old.
That same family was responsible for the iconic nickname that followed him his entire life.
“I grew up in a small town. Everyone had a handle growing up,” Pullin said during a Red Bull interview.
“It came from my parents mostly, but it stuck with friends and then older crew I was snowboarding with. It was fitting as a snowboard grommet and I probably should have grown out of it at some stage. The meaning of where it all started was lost and has now just become my name.”