Injured snowboarder Luke Mitrani plays his guitar in Burwood Hospital, Christchurch. Photo supplied.
St John operations team manager Kelvin Perriman said a Lakes District Rescue Trust helicopter with two St John paramedics on board picked up the snowboarder at 11.30am last Sunday.
Mitrani has had surgery, saying on Twitter it consisted of taking part of his hip bone to help stabilise the fractured C5 vertebra in his neck.
He has since posted on Twitter he has been able to take his first steps at Burwood Hospital.
Sports media outlet ESPN reports Mitrani is a top pipe competitor, travelling to New Zealand to train for the Burton High Fives ''as well as the run-up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia''.
