A Close Call

Hey all Vertical Carnival followers out there. Just a quick update on some recent catastrophic events. Although we really love taking on every project all the time and going full-steam 24/7, sometimes the powers that be overwhelmingly tell us to slow down.

In my case it all came to a halt last week in Jackson, Wy during a C4C/TGR collaboration that was supposed to follow big mountain riders into the Grand Teton National Park. During a pre-production shoot at the JH resort to capture b-roll on mellow terrain I caught an edge with to much speed just above a cliff band. What would have been a normal little fall turned into full on nightmare. My arms pinwheeled in the air fighting for life before the inevitable impact into the rock. During the unconscious lapse that followed my good friend Jimmy Chin 1st responded, playing a major role in saving my life. As I came back to consciousness I was still in the process of being extracted on a sled through the tight tree terrain below Rock Springs buttress by the highly skilled JH Ski Patrol. I shivered uncontrollably and was only able to see intermittently through the fogged oxygen mask and wallops of snow falling from the tight trees. The toll of injuries included a massive depressed skull fracture, collapsed lunge and 2 broken vertebrae. Any one of these could have easily killed, paralyzed or caused permanent brain damage. Luckily the emergency craniotomy and other surgeries were successful. The road to recovery will be slow but the recovery will also be a full one. So, besides just being thankful to be alive I'd also like to thank all of friends and supporters for the love and kindness during the painful start to this healing process. I will still continue to follow my dreams of adventure and creativity in the mountains but will do my best to pay attention to when the universe is telling me to slow down and not take anything for granted. ~reo