Commentary

Sammy's injury update

Checking in with Sammy Carlson after a bad crash at WX Big Air

Updated: February 1, 2012, 5:07 PM ET
By Megan Michelson | ESPN.com

Joshua Duplechian/ESPN Sammy Carlson competing in Slopestyle elims at Winter X 2012.

Sammy Carlson crashed during the Winter X 2012 Big Air finals on Saturday night, causing a torn MCL in his right knee. He was escorted out of the venue by X Games medical staff. This is Carlson's first major ski injury.

"Lucky, it's just partially torn, so I won't need surgery," Carlson said on Wednesday. "I think by the spring I will be back on my skis."

Apo The new Sammy Carlson pro model from Apo.

Carlson is now staying at Tanner Hall's house in Park City, Utah, just a few miles from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team's Center of Excellence, where he'll be doing physical therapy for the next few months.

Although some snowboarders landed triples during the Snowboard Big Air at Winter X Games Aspen 2012, no skiers pulled off a triple during the Big Air, which was won by Bobby Brown. Carlson said he was going to try a triple cork 16, but the jump didn't feel right. "As I spun around, there wasn't much landing left," Carlson said. "As soon as I landed, I knew it wasn't good. You always hear about other people injuring their knees and as soon as I landed, I knew it had happened to me."

He had plans to film with Teton Gravity Research and Poor Boyz Productions this winter and he's had to postpone those plans until he can reassess the condition of his knee later in the season.

"I haven't experienced anything like this before," Carlson said. "As soon as it happened, I was really bummed out. But I'm in good hands for physical therapy and I'm looking forward to coming back 110 percent."

MORE ACTION SPORTS HEADLINES

MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM

MORE FROM THE WEB

ESPN Conversations

comments