Danny Tourmarkine is Moving Forward After Traumatic Snowboarding Injury

Injuries suck, especially when you are a competitive athlete and your entire world revolves around sports. The set back can be rather depressing, and finding the light at the end of the tunnel is a huge challenge when all you can dream about is snowboarding. Yesterday in the late afternoon, I was taking my last lap through Mammoth Mountain’s main park when I took an ill-advised speed check on a kicker, came up short and knuckled the landing hard. I had already scoped out the jump and hit it perfectly an hour before; why was this happening?! As I heard the POP from my knee and felt it give way, my goals of shredding all season fell apart.

Snowboarding makes me who I am today. It has pushed me to challenge myself and has driven me to the heights of the Andes Mountain range, and into the valley’s of the Alps. My travels, career, friends, and lifestyle revolve around the sport. Addicted to snowboarding, I can never get enough, and always want my fix. How am I going to deal with loosing my first-love in exchange for intensive physical therapy? My thoughts this Thanksgiving were rather pessimistic, until I spoke with Danny and was inspired by his recovery story.

Danny Toumarkine suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) on January 3rd, 2011 while snowboarding on a film trip in Montana. A routine jump changed his life forever. Caused by a serious skull fracture, Danny was in an induced comma for nearly 2 weeks. His family sat by his hospital bed, lucky to see him alive. Almost a year later, friends and family have collected enough footage from Danny’s recovery that now he is coming out with a film to share his experience.

Danny is almost back on his snowboard, waiting patiently for the year mark. In the meantime, he is passionate about helmet awareness and spreading an important message for all snowboarders in regards to helmet use. The dangers of this sport are real, and we can only hope to learn from his inspiring story.

The full movie will be out January 10th, 2012!

Take a sneak peak at the trailer:

Images of Danny Toumarkine in action:

Visit Danny’s blog for medical updates, helmet awareness, and ways to contribute:

www.dannyisthebomb.com

Shannon Marie Quirk ( More Posts)

Shannon Marie Quirk is an editor, writer, photographer and graphic designer for The Ski Channel.

Snowboarding means everything to this Lake Tahoe local, often found chasing down endless winters deep in Los Andes Mountain region backcountry of Patagonia during the summertime. She is no stranger to the Mammoth Mountain Superpipe, where she took 1st place in Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe for SCCSC league, 1st in Women’s Snowboard Freestyle for the 2009 season, and 5th in Slopestyle at USCSA Nationals placing 8th overall for the women. A passion for photography channels her athleticism towards a career path as a sports journalist, supported by Bachelor of Arts degrees from UCLA in English and Spanish literature. Also a passionate surfer, this gal can’t stay far from a board as she shreds the hemispheres guided by mother nature’s weather patterns.