Before December 31st, 2009, Kevin Pearce was one of the
most spectacular snowboarders anybody had ever seen. He’d challenged
Shaun White, aka “The Flying Tomato,” for the status of top dog in the
sport, having won three medals at the 2008 Winter X Games and another
one in 2009. He was training in Park City, Utah, for the 2010 Olympics
when he crashed.
“I tried the trick and ended up coming down on my front edge and
resulted in slamming my head to the sheer ice half pipe and left me in a
coma,” said Pearce. “So it was pretty intense.”
After December 31st, 2009, Kevin Pearce became, among
other things, a case study. He didn’t open his eyes for 10 days after
the accident. His first memory came a month later.