Navigating Down Syndrome on Skis: Arc’teryx Spotlights Vail Native Carving His Own Path

Tim Sackbauer has been a skier all his life. It’s one of the things that he grew up bonding with his family over, and as an adult with Down syndrome, skiing has been a refuge for him. The Vail Valley native has overcome a lot of challenging moments in his life. Like all of us, he’ll continue to navigate them as he gets older — but as long as he can get out on the slopes and slash some turns on the snow, he’ll get through it.

This touching short documentary from Arc’teryx, titled Tim, follows Sackbauer as he describes his relationship with his sisters and his parents. It exposes some of the unique obstacles people with Down syndrome face and how he finds peace and solace most easily on his skis. On the slopes, Sackbauer is just like everyone else. It’s one of the few places where he becomes just like everyone else.

“It feels like you’re free,” he says in the film. “It’s like a heartbeat.”

For more films from Arc’teryx, check out the brand’s YouTube page.

Runtime: 16:49