Brock Crouch is so lucky. Updating his medical situation Thursday on social media, Crouch gave vivid details of an avalanche he was caught in while filming in the Whistler backcountry. And it’s pretty gruesome. The dual-sport athlete (Crouch is also a competitive surfer), described his terrifying reality as he was rag-dolled onto rock bands as he went over the cliff before being buried.
“A few days ago, I was in the Whistler back country filming with John Jackson, Cam FitzPatrick, Mark Tremblay, Shin Campos, and Justin Hostynek when I was unfortunately caught in a pretty big avalanche,” he wrote. “I was standing at the top of a ridge with Cam when the cornice broke under me and pulled me backwards into a slide. It took me through about 1000 feet and over several rock bands before I ended up at the bottom, buried with no oxygen for almost 5 minutes.”
It sounded brutal. Crouch was pretty beat-up after the incident. “I tore my pancreas, knocked out 5 teeth, got a “periorbital hematoma (basically closed up my right eye) and fractured my L2 L3 and my T12 vertebrae.” The 18-year-old sounded supremely humbled when he revealed he didn’t need surgery.
Crouch, who has surfed in the ISA Junior World Championships and won a snowboarding World Cup event in slopestyle, was quickly rescued by the experienced crew. “I especially want to thank our pilot, Justin, John, Cam, Mark and Shin for saving my life. I love snowboarding more today than I ever have and I can’t wait to get back on my board and shred with everyone again!”
