THE COMEBACK KID
Saskatchewan-raised snowboarder Mark McMorris says he’s feeling “really good” as he recovers from a crash that nearly killed him while snowboarding last March. He thought his career was over but he’s back in the gym every day — and hating it.
TORONTO Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris has always had an amazing ability to quickly recover from significant injuries.
His comeback from a near-fatal crash in the B.C. backcountry earlier this year is just the latest example.
“I’m feeling really, really good,” he said. “For what happened, I’m doing way better than I thought I’d be doing at this point in time.”
McMorris suffered breaks to his jaw and left arm, a ruptured spleen, a stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed left lung when he crashed off a jump on March 25.
He was airlifted from Whistler to Vancouver and had emergency surgery to control bleeding and repair his jaw and arm.
The Regina native called it a “huge freak accident,” adding his snowboard’s edge unexpectedly dug in on the soft snow. He couldn’t stop himself from drifting too far left and into a tree.
“I just whacked it out of mid-air,” McMorris said. “It was not a small tree and (it didn’t have) branches on it. I hit it all on my left side. I did a front-side 360 and as I turned around it was just like right there. And then it was just — boom. I broke everything, like 16 bones or something in one hit. That’s like a car crash.”
The 2014 Olympic slopestyle bronze medallist was with his older brother Craig — also an elite snowboarder — and credits him for taking charge of the situation.
McMorris was out cold for about 45 seconds. When he regained consciousness, his mind was racing.
“I didn’t think I’d ever snowboard again when I was laying there after I hit that tree,” he said.
“I was awake and was waiting. As soon as the helicopter got there (90 minutes later) I went to sleep. I remember the whole time waiting, just trying to survive because (I) ruptured (my) spleen and all that and my jaw was just hanging. I was puking. I thought I was going to die — literally.”
After spending 10 days in hospital, McMorris was quite limited physically for about a month.
He started the rehabilitation process in the Vancouver area and currently spends at least 2-3 hours per day on a “heavy” gym routine and hydrotherapy work.
“It hurts so bad and I hate it every time,” he said of the rehab sessions. “But when I leave I’m so happy. I’m like, ‘OK that’s one step closer to doing what I actually love and what brings me ultimate joy.’”