Sam Cullum is one of the world’s leading young snowboarders. He has won nearly every UK competition and in 2005 represented Great Britain in the Winter Junior Olympics in Monthey, Switzerland. Here, for UAEasy.com, he writes about his experiences so far in this extreme sport...

When I got up on a September morning in 2001 (aged just 13) I never thought that this was the day that would change my life so much.

I had a half-day booked at a local dry-slope (a slope made of plastic called Dendix, which has a surface like a toothbrush) to learn to snowboard. Unfortunately the UK has very limited snowboarding slopes to choose from. There are a few snow domes but I would have had to travel for an hour and a half to get to the closest one.

As a keen skateboarder I always watched extreme sport (including snowboarding) on TV but never imagined that I would live the life. Within just five years of that first experience on plastic snow I’m now travelling the globe and competing with the world’s top snowboarders.

Most people see my life as glamorous and I’m sure some envy me, as my snowboarding takes me all round the world while they’re doing a nine-to-five office job. On the face of it, yes it does sound great. I would be the first to admit that there’s nothing quite like it - whether I’m competing or just riding fresh powder I love it - but it has not been without a certain amount of pain and a lot of hard work.

Since starting to snowboard (that’s me in action in the picture, by the way), I have had at least a dozen injuries. I’ve broken my right wrist three times, broken several fingers, broken my left wrist, broken my elbow, broken ribs, dislocated a shoulder and finally managed to break my back. This happened last year when I was competing in the British Championships in Laax, Switzerland. I misjudged a jump in practice before my event.

My first clue that there might be something wrong came as I took off. I just knew I wouldn’t make it over the top to the landing downslope. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do in this situation except to try to prepare yourself for the impact. My board stopped dead on the knuckle of the jump and sent a shockwave right up my legs and into the small of my back.

The pain was indescribable. I had to be airlifted off the mountain. I had always wanted to ride in a helicopter but unfortunately the medics administered a little too much morphine, so I have no recollection of it.  Apparently I was holding my dad’s face close to mine - nose to nose - and asking him why he was so far away! I have never been known for my vocal skills but it seems I was singing a selection of football terrace chants and war-time classics!  The last thing I do remember is lying on the snow and not being able to feel my legs - a very scary feeling.

The next I knew I was in Chur Hospital, Switzerland.  These guys were special. In no time at all they had x-rayed me, diagnosed I had a “good” break (if there is such a thing) of the 12th vertebra and would not need an operation. Within hours they had measured me up with a special back brace and I was heading back to the presentation evening for the day’s riding. The look of surprise on people’s faces when I turned up in the evening was well worth the effort I made to get there!

You would think that would be the end of the story but I knew that nothing would stop me snowboarding. The determination and the passion I have for the sport overcomes all my fears. The next few months were spent with the physio, the chiropractor and having acupuncture and when I was able to, I swam every day to build the muscle around the break.

The accident happened in late March 2005 and by August 2005 I was back riding in the UK and performing in front of a crowd at the Snozone in Milton Keynes. I felt I was ready to face the next season. I was fully repaired physically, I just hoped I could cope mentally.  Only time would tell.

Well, it turned out that I still had what it takes and last winter was an awesome season for me. In March I went back to the British Championships and won each event in my age category (with the exception of half pipe, where I came 2nd) and finished in the top five overall in all disciplines. 

Event sponsors Orange awarded me the trophy for the rider with the brightest talent who showed the most potential for the future. In August this year it was announced that in recognition of my achievements I was now on the Great Britain World Cup Team, a step forward to competing for my country in the 2010 Olympics - my next goal.

You might think that snowboarding for Great Britain is a strange choice, especially as it’s a non-alpine country.  But Great Britain has been into skiing for many years and is now trying to educate the federations that snowboarding is the way ahead. This season is the first time that snowboarders have been awarded scholarships to help with their costs.

Breaking bones is not the only hurdle I have to get over.  Raising additional funds is just as hard. I am fortunate enough to have some great sponsors - Oakley, Ride snowboards, DC Shoes and Boots and Arcus clothing.  These guys help as much as possible with kit and clothing but for the rest of the funding we are continuously trying to raise sponsorship by approaching companies in the UK.

After winning the bid for the 2012 Olympics it seems all funding in the UK is channelled towards this, with nothing left for the Winter Olympics. Finding funds certainly seems an uphill struggle at times. I send endless letters to companies but get either no reply or just a straight “no”. 

I know that nothing is going to deter me from reaching my goal of the Olympics, whether it be breaking a few more bones along the way or the continuous sponsorship knock-backs.

I can only begin to describe my life now - the freedom of the slopes, the adrenaline-rush when I compete, or just meeting people from all over the world. Some said “stay on a school”, but what could they teach me in the classroom when there is so much to see out there?

Follow my dream on my website http://www.samcullum.co.uk