Blimey , you must have been pretty good on those dry slopes to make that kind of impression ?
I don ’ t know about good , I was just throwing myself left , right and centre . Coming from a skateboarding background gives you a certain mindset because the consequences of falling on concrete are pretty gnarly . It ’ s the same with dry slope . Fall on that stuff and you ’ ll get a massive carpet burn or rip up your gear .
Has starting out on dry slope informed your style ?
It ’ s helped a lot . They say if you can ride dry slope then snow just feels like heaven . On dry you can ’ t really get an edge or turn , so it teaches you to get that perfect take-off on a jump . Then when you get to snow you ’ ve got those same principles , but it ’ s so much easier . I remember the first time I rode snow was in Courchevel . All I wanted to do was ride straight and fast and not turn !
Now you ’ ve been in the game for 10 years , and been sponsored by DC that whole time . How did they discover you ?
In my first season , I travelled around Europe doing the amateur circuit , where the winner gets sponsored by Burton . I ended up coming second overall - through a bit of biased judging if you ask me . I should have won it really . So I was a little bit gutted at first , but a few months later was scouted by DC at the British Championships . Everything ’ s worked out pretty alright since then .
Your career hasn ’ t been without struggle though , as three years back you suffered a near-death injury while preparing for a big air competition …
Originally , I hit my head pretty bad while out doing a contest in Kreischberg . I didn ’ t think anything of it and the next day went out drinking . On the flight home I started puking up , but just put it down to a heavy night out .
Then two weeks later I was in Mayrhofen , Austria , to train for another contest I was up for in Quebec City . Midway doing a back double cork 10 , my mind blanked out . I don ’ t remember a single thing . Next thing I woke up with a neck brace on , my ankle facing the wrong direction , blood dripping down my face . It was bad , I ’ d fractured my skull , broke everything in my neck , broke my back , had swelling on the brain etc .…
Did you ever think you ’ d ride again ?
I was told I ’ d never snowboard again , but I wasn ’ t having that . I made sure to meet up with a lot of people I trusted and kept a positive mental attitude , and 11 months later I was back on my board .
How did that feel ? Were you second-guessing yourself at all ?
I was mostly thinking ‘ what the hell am I doing ’? So I was a little bit nervous , but at the same time I wanted to prove wrong the people who doubted me . There are so many I could name who said I ’ d never do this again . That ’ s all the motivation I needed .
Were you able to pick up where you left off ?
Pretty much . Three weeks in I was already hitting cork tens and double rodeos . It felt good to be back but something still didn ’ t quite feel right . At first I didn ’ t accept it , I just carried on and even now I ’ m not 100 %. I still have little thoughts in the back of my head and so I ’ ve been seeing a mental coach just to keep me in positive vibes . That ’ s definitely helped .
That ’ s quite a big step . A lot of people still have a stigma about needing any help with mental coaching …
Everyone overthinks things . I just needed to see someone to clear things up after the injury , and it helped a lot . u
Sam Turnbull
“ I used to be a little s ** t when I was younger : out skateboarding on the street , drugs , violence , not going to school ...… Snowboarding has completely transformed my life and made me who I am today .
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