Snowboarding star Mark McMorris in hospital after backcountry accident
VANCOUVER — An accident on a jump “well within his skill level” in British Columbia’s backcountry has left Canadian snowboarding star Mark McMorris with serious injuries.
A medal favourite at next year’s Winter Olympics, McMorris is recovering in a Vancouver hospital from a broken jaw, broken left arm, ruptured spleen, stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures and a collapsed left lung.
McMorris, his brother Craig and a few friends travelled into the backcountry by snowmobile near Whistler, B.C., to build the jump on Saturday, Canada Snowboard executive director Patrick Jarvis told The Canadian Press in a phone interview Monday.
“From what we’re told it was a jump that was well within his skill level, which is undoubtedly one of the best in the world,” said Jarvis. “(McMorris) just happened to be in some flat light, misjudged his approach, and that’s resulted in the accident.”