Battle Wounds - LIP SERVICE

7/28 - I was working as a snowboard instructor at Mt. Snow, Vermont, and on my break decided to take a run through the park. I hadn’t waxed my board in weeks and it had snowed just enough to make clearing the jumps difficult. I was spinning a frontside 540 off a kicker and came up 90 degrees short. I smacked my jaw on the knuckle and my two front teeth bit into the top of my lip, all the way to the base of my gums. I didn't know what had happened at first—there was blood all over the snow and I couldn't control my saliva. I rode down to the base lodge and finally saw what I had done to myself: My lip was swollen to ten times its normal size. What was worse was that the mountain was shorthanded on instructors and I had to teach two more lessons while holding a bag of ice to my face. The inside of my mouth was torn to shreds and the only way I could eat was to down a bottle of Ambisol and scarf my food down before the stuff wore off.

Ever been hurt worse than this guy? Got the photo to prove it? Send BATTLE WOUNDS to tess@snowboardermag.com.