Snowboarding star Mark McMorris back on the slopes after serious accident
McMorris broke multiple bones and ruptured spleen in snowboarding accident this spring
Regina-born Mark McMorris has returned to snowboarding after a serious accident this spring.
In March, McMorris broke his left arm and jaw, fractured ribs and his pelvis, ruptured his spleen and collapsed his left lung on a backcountry snowboarding accident in British Columbia.
"Feeling extremely blessed to be back snowboarding," he wrote in a brief social media post on Wednesday from New Zealand. "Thank you all for sticking with me through the ups and downs."
Feeling extremely blessed to be back snowboarding🙏🏼🙏🏼<br>Thank you all for sticking with me through the ups and downs ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/ceNxH1AHOx">pic.twitter.com/ceNxH1AHOx</a>
—@markmcmorris- 'I almost died and now I'm trying to get better': Mark McMorris on snowboard crash
- Mark McMorris begins rehab following backcountry crash
"I think that he's doing really good," said McMorris' brother, Craig.
"All the injuries are good. His left arm, where he broke his humerus in a number of spots, definitely takes the longest, but other than that, he's 100 per cent."
The 23-year-old snowboarder had to be airlifted off the mountain and went through two separate surgeries to repair his jaw and arm and stop internal bleeding. He also spent considerable time in rehab.
"He was in the gym working extremely hard the whole time, had a good physio team, and he was pretty careful too, when he was rehabbing," said Craig. "It's paid off for him. He's healthy and happy now."
First flat ground backflip since the injury😊😊😊😊 <a href="https://t.co/q9ZKCgzsP2">pic.twitter.com/q9ZKCgzsP2</a>
—@markmcmorrisMcMorris was filming a commercial when the most recent snowboarding video was made.
The pro-snowboarder hoped he would recover in time to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He was provisionally added to Team Canada this spring.
"He hasn't hit big jumps, or snowboarded to the level that he would need to for Pyeongchang, but the road he's on right now looks like he'll be there for sure," said Craig.
McMorris won a bronze medal at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi and won gold medals in the 2012 and 2013 X Games.
This isn't the first time McMorris has been injured. In February 2016, he fractured his right femur and had a metal rod surgically implanted in his thigh after a crash in Los Angeles.
With files from The Canadian Press