Rowan Parnell started skiing at the age of four, and the freestyle skier says it was love at first sight.
"I love the rush of skiing," said Parnell. "And when you land a new trick after falling so many times it's really, really fun!"
Of course, it isn't nearly as much fun when you don't land it. Parnell's laundry list of injuries is proof of that.
"I've broken (my right) arm about three times skiing. And then this (left) arm, it was a fractured radius and a fractured ulna."
That happened a month ago, but he's already back on the hill.
Luckily for his arm, there is less risk of injury now, thanks to an airbag.
It's been set up at the Springhill Winter Park by the Manitoba Freestyle Ski Association.
"It makes it a safer landing," said president Dave Parnell.
It works much like a bouncy castle for children: the airbag cushions the landing, preventing injury if the skier doesn't complete the trick just right.
"When we grew up, we really didn't have this luxury, and this opportunity," said Parnell. "You'd be knocking your head around things like that. So certainly, the safety aspect of this is second to none."
And by making it safer and easier to train here in Manitoba, the Association hopes it will allow freestyle skiers to stay here in Manitoba to train.
"The video game stuff from 20 years ago, they're doing these things. So this is just another piece of equipment to help train that for local kids."
And save people like Rowan Parnell from yet another broken bone.
