Maisie Hill lost so much blood she almost died
A snowboarder who was warned she might never walk again following a life-threatening crash that left her feeling like a “bag of bones” has returned to the slopes, gearing up for next year’s Winter Olympics. GB Snowsport freestyle snowboarder Maisie Hill, 24, from Cheltenham, sustained devastating injuries in January 2023 whilst training in Switzerland.
Plummeting at breakneck speeds into a “wall of ice” during practice of a routine rail trick, Maisie revealed she nearly died from the massive blood loss caused by a torn liver. She was airlifted by helicopter to Gaubunden Hospital in Chur, Switzerland, where medics warned her she might never walk again.
The collision also burst a lung, triggered a significant brain haemorrhage and shattered two vertebrae plus four ribs, she explained. Yet through pure grit and a “life-changing” grant from the Olympic Solidarity programme, Maisie was back doing what she adores within nine months. She’s now hoping to secure her place at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in February 2026.
“As I lay on the ground after my crash, I felt like I was a bag of bones that someone had picked up and was jangling,” Maisie said.
“I remember the doctor listing all the injuries I had. It was horrible how many there were, it just went on and on. I was crying, wishing they’d stop talking.
“In my first season competing again (2023-24), I was very scared and was losing confidence in myself. However, I find that smiling every time I get back to the top of the slope helps me perform, reminding me how lucky I am and that I love snowboarding.”
Maisie was first introduced to the sport by her father at the age of eight on the hill behind their family home in Cheltenham.
When Maisie turned 10, she and her dad relocated to Morzine in the French Alps.
“I didn’t love snowboarding at first,” she said. “But my dad always said I would be really good at it. I owe so much to his belief in me.”
By 16, Maisie explained she was thriving in freestyle snowboarding and received an invitation from GB Snowsport to join their youth programme in Laax, Switzerland. Maisie relocated there on her own, renting accommodation away from the slopes where costs were lower, walking 20 minutes to catch a bus each morning. However, when she reached 18, she revealed she failed to secure selection for the British World Cup squad.
“It felt like no-one believed in me, like I was just some silly girl,” she said. Nevertheless, she remained convinced that dedication and sheer determination would eventually earn her a place on the team.
She dedicated the summer of 2021 to daily snowboarding on the glacier in Switzerland. To fund this pursuit, she lived in a tent in Saas Grund, Switzerland whilst working as a cleaner or barista. Her parents, meanwhile, backed her by funding a private coach, though Maisie knew it was a burden on them and wouldn’t last indefinitely.
In 2022, at the age of 21, she qualified to compete for Britain in her first World Cup, where she secured seventh place. Maisie described the subsequent months as the happiest in her life, as she made rapid progress and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of snowboarding. In January 2023, she had just returned from a World Cup in Austria and was gearing up for the next competition in Laax, Switzerland.
“It was a foggy day and I was tired,” she recounted. “I was just doing one last run before the tournament the following day.
“I don’t know how, but I was going extremely fast and I slipped off a rail. I slammed into an ice wall.”
Maisie instantly realised that everything had changed. “I refused to breathe because I was panicking so much,” she said. “I couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything.”
She was then airlifted to Gaubunden Hospital in Chur, Switzerland, where she was given the devastating news that she might never walk again. She had fractured two vertebrae and four ribs, punctured a lung, lacerated her liver and suffered a major brain bleed.
Despite the severity of her injuries, Maisie recalls the pure relief she felt when she was able to wiggle her toes after her operation. She moved back to Cheltenham with her mum and received physio training from Team GB, gradually regaining her strength, though it was a challenging journey.
“They’d cut open my stomach, and my abs must have stored all my trauma because the first few times I tried to do a sit-up, I cried so emotionally,” she said. In the summer of 2023, she received an email from the Olympic Solidarity programme, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) global development initiative, informing her that she had been selected for a grant, after being nominated by GB Snowsport.
“I thought it was a scam at first,” admitted Maisie. “But it was life-changing. I don’t think my parents could have continued funding me. Suddenly I thought, ‘I’m going to do this!'”
The programme provides athletes worldwide with a sum of money every four months leading up to the Olympics. “It’s amazing,” she said. “If you work hard enough, help will come.”
James Macleod, IOC Director of NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity and Olympism365, said: “Currently 438 athletes from 89 NOCs are receiving a monthly grant from Olympic Solidarity, supporting their journey to the next Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.”
In October 2023, Maisie revealed she was able to travel to New Zealand with her team. She said she was so thrilled by the possibility of snowboarding again that on her first run, she went so fast her coach told her to slow down.
Less than a year after her life-threatening crash, she was competing at World Cups again. However, she soon discovered that her performances were declining, that she was losing confidence and was frightened.
She began working with a sports psychologist, recognising that there was a lot of mental trauma hampering her performance.
“When I’d have a bad run, I’d be angry with myself,” she said. “But I found this method, that every time I get back to the top, I find some reason to smile. When I’m smiling, I’m the best version of myself.”
After finishing fifth at an Austrian World Cup in March, Maisie said she is on track to qualify for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics next February. She hopes her smile and determination will take her there.
She continued: “I remember my family watching a tournament on TV when I was younger and they said that I was the only one smiling. Doing it reminds me to make the most of my time and not waste it, and it reminds me that I just love snowboarding. It really works.”