Former competitive snowboarder and brain-love advocate, Kevin Pearce visited Colorado College this week to speak to students about snowboarding, life, and wearing helmets. Pearce was formerly ranked among the best snowboarders in the world. Consistently earning spots on the podium in Big Air, Slopestyle, and Superpipe competitions and beating snowboarding big shots like Shaun White, he was on the road to the Vancouver Olympics.
The unthinkable happened on a bluebird day in Park City, Utah. Attempting the infamous “double cork,” Pearce caught an edge and landed full-force on his face. It was a crash that seriously altered the course of his life. In a split second, he went from an athlete performing at the world-class level to learning how to talk, stand, and walk. He was 24 years old.
“I was trying to re-learn my life” Pearce told students. Pearce spent three months at the Craig neuro-rehabilitation hospital in Denver recovering from a traumatic brain injury. With the support of family and friends, he has made incredible progress. Pearce’s injury is nearly invisible, but to this day, he still feels the effects of the accident.
“In no way have I made a complete recovery,” he said in regard to his injury. He still experiences memory issues and vision problems, but continues to work hard on re-training his brain.
Two years after the accident, Pearce went snowboarding again for the first time. He was surrounded by friends in Breckenridge, Colo. Still snowboarding today, Pearce showed students a self-filmed go-pro video of him waist deep in powder in Japan, his favorite snowboard destination. Outfitted with a sturdy black helmet, he was all smiles.
Pearce’s family and doctors were hesitant to let him snowboard again, for the possibility of another brain injury is still a real concern. Once someone has suffered one traumatic brain injury, the risks that are associated with another head injury can increase significantly and are often life-threatening. He cannot afford to take another bad fall.
Although Pearce is back on his board, he had to come to terms with the fact that snowboarding at his previous level was not realistic. His snowboarding ability much less than it was before the accident, and he acknowledges that the risks associated with attempting to send big tricks are too steep.
Accepting a new reality was difficult, but Pearce sites yoga as an interval part of his healing process. “That’s been huge for me,” he told students while speaking about the importance of slowing down and staying present. Today, yoga is a daily part of Kevin’s life. He even found time while he was in the Colorado Springs to take a hot yoga class at Core Power.
Being an advocate for brain-related injuries remains important to Pearce. He started the Love Your Brain campaign, which has successfully raised money for the National Down Syndrome Association and the Craig Hospital, where he was treated. The hope is that soon, Love Your Brain will be able to provide free yoga to brain injury survivors.
Although not particularly well known to the public, a week and a half before Pearce’s crash, he suffered a concussion in a qualifying round that was left untreated. This injury, although unknown to him at the time, contributed to the severity of the damage that occurred on the second impact. Pearce made it clear to students that brain injuries are not always obvious.
Pearce noted that the attitudes around helmets are shifting, but he wants to continue to be a part of changing the culture by making helmets “cool.” Pearce may no longer be throwing big double corks, but he has found a way to make peace with his injury, inspire others and raise awareness about the importance of brain-health. That alone is pretty huge.
Pearce’s story is featured in the documentary “The Crash Reel,” which screened at CC earlier this week.