Jindabyne man Garry Dargan is heading to Vancouver, Canada, to help judge the winter Olympics next month. Mr Dargan was more comfortable on a surfboard than skis until he came to work in the Snowy Mountains some 30 years ago.

As a Charlotte Pass lift operator and member of the ski patrol, Mr Dargan became a proficient skier. He competed in the Europa Cup Alpine race in 1970 and 1972.

Mr Dargan was the first Australian to competitively perform a “Twisting Flips Aerial”, a stomach-dropping move for spectators, let alone competitors.

In the early 1980s, Mr Dargan retired from competitive skiing. He has held many roles within Skiing Australia, including chairman of their NSW freestyle committee.

Mr Dargan has helped organise Australian freestyle events, which have attracted top international competitors. He said “along the way” he met the head judge for the Freestyle International Ski Federation which put him the path to becoming an A-Licence Freestyle Judge.

This is not Mr Dargan’s first Olympic judging experience. He judged in Nagano, Japan in 1998 and has also judged in World Cups and World Championships.

Mr Dargan’s role in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics will be assistant head judge for freestyle skiing.