By Tom Degun

Sean_Rose_in_KoreaFebruary 6 - Britain's Sean Rose made up for the disappointment on missing out on a medal at the Vancouver Winter Paralympics and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships in Sestriere last month as the dare-devil athlete secured bronze in the Mono Skier X contest at Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado.


The Winter X Games, which this year celebrated their 15th anniversary and their 10th consecutive year in Aspen, are one of the most exciting yet dangerous sporting events on the planet and see hundreds of athletes fight it out on the fast and furious slopes in Colorado.

The Mono Skier X event, which like all over events at the competition is a fusion of motocross and downhill racing on snow, saw Canadian Josh Dueck, who won silver at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, claim gold in a stunning time of 1min 59.656sec.

American Brandon Adam claimed silver in 2:10.471 while Rose picked up bronze in bronze 2:18.684 which meant that the three podium spots in the event all went to Winter X Games rookies.

Rose, who broke his back in a skiing accident in 2000 while instructing with the RAF, admitted that the course was extremely intimidating but that the challenge pushed the adrenaline junkie to do his best.

"The course was very intimidating when I first got here," said the Cambridgeshire-based 39-year-old who became Britain's first Paralympic World Cup gold medallist last year.

"I didn't know what to expect and I looked at the course and said, 'Oh my god.'

"But after a few inspection runs and the qualifying runs, it wasn't actually as bad as I thought.

"I hadn't hit that final ramp all week and I just thought, 'I gotta do it; throw it down.'

"That was the craziest thing I've ever done in my life."

Rose qualified fastest in his semi-final after a spectacular crash-landing saw him slide over the line head first.

Somehow uninjured, he went into the final as one of the favourites and although missing out on victory, he stated he was delighted to take part in the event and finish on the podium.

"With my background as a BMX rider, it's something that really took my fancy," said Rose.

"Four sit skiers start at the top and the first one to the bottom of a banked track with various big jumps and bumps wins.

"There is always contact on the way down so it's a wild ride.

"The veins are popping out of your neck and you just want to do it all again and it's an incredible rush.

"Apart from the Paralympics and the World Championships, the Winter X Games are the most high profile events I do.

"The Winter X Games open up my personal profile and the sport as a whole to a much wider audience.

"It's always a great feeling to open people's eyes to what's possible in life."

Watch Rose's spectacular semi-final crash-landing by clicking here.


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April 2010: Rose reveals secret behind Vancouver disappointment
March 2010: Gallagher impresses again but Rose wilts
March 2010: Rose Paralympic tune-up gives him confidence
February 2010: Sean Rose - I want the world to take British skiers seriously