Brokeback mountain Montafon

Our first little powder mission started rather rough this year. Gulli, Clement and I decided to go to Silvretta Montafon to start off easy with some small spots to get used to actually do turns again, don't get to do too many of those when you're out jibbing. We hooked up with Carlos Blanchard and found a small pillow that would launch us through some trees and in to a small landing. I agreed to try it out first, jumped like a guy who haven't been riding pow for a long time and managed to land an ollie you definitely won't see in the new film. I told Gulli what the spot was like, that it wasn't the best but the landing worked. So he picked a bit better inrun than me, strapped in and landed a nice little tailgrab. On his way out the trouble started though. While trying  to break, his board suddenly slipped out underneath him and he flew ass first right into a big rock that was barely hidden by some powder under a tree. I have seen him take some gnarly slams before, but never heard so much as a little moan, this time he was screaming out of agony. While Carlos and Clem did all they could to help him I rushed down to the ski patrol and notified them about the accident.  A helicopter was imidiatly flown in while the ski patrol and the media guys managed to get Gulli on a stretcher and stabilize him. No doubt that Gulli was in a lot of pain, he was sure that something was really wrong but at least he could feel his legs and move his toes. His face changed when he got the painkillers though, it was kinda changing from terror-struck viking to stoned hippie in two minutes, "it's kicking in" is all he said while his smile stretched from ear to ear. With a zoinked out Gudmundsson hanging from a hope on stretcher the helicopter flew to the hospital and did all the necessary tests.

Turned out that he broke his back on that impact, but as the doctor said, it's a serious injury, but not a serious back injury. So even though it was bad, it could have been a lot worse. Two days later he was even up and walking and enjoying the burgers we had brought him.

He will be all good again, but it just needs some time, good thing that he been slaying it on the jib spots this year so he'll have a sick part anyhow.

While Gulli was in the hospital, Tyler joined in on the action and we got to ride some powder between hospital visits, too bad you couldn't join us Gulli, but at least you get to see your girlfriend a lot more than originally planned now, so it's not all bad.

Get well soon buddy!

And a big thanks to the first aid team in Silvretta Montafon.

Danny