Brit Soldier Who Lost Both Legs Hits The Slopes

12:36am UK, Sunday December 26, 2010

Greg Milam, US correspondent

A soldier who lost both legs and suffered a serious brain injury in an explosion in Afghanistan has described the feeling of "freedom" after skiing for the first time.

Lance-Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 26, is the most seriously wounded British serviceman to survive his injuries.

The paratrooper from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, is now determined to prove wrong those who said he would never walk or talk again.

Against the backdrop of the breathtaking Rocky Mountains at the Breckenridge ski resort in Colorado, Ben joined dozens of British military amputees and hundreds of disabled skiers at an annual event run by Disabled Sports USA.

He was able to ski courtesy of a device known as "the bucket" - a plastic seat mounted on skis.

He's attacking this mountain like he's been skiing for 50 years.

John Sandford Hart, patron of Pilgrim Bandits

Ben told Sky News: "I always knew I could do it so I didn't need to prove it to myself. I wanted to prove it to other people.

"If you have been told you can't do something, then you know you can if you tell yourself you can."

Ben was taken to Colorado by the charity Pilgrim Bandits, whose patron John Sandford Hart said: "To see Ben out on the mountain is awesome. He is completely amazing every single day.

"He's attacking this mountain like he's been skiing for 50 years and his smile is the biggest one on the mountain.

Ben Parkinson: 'I wanted to prove it to other people.'

"Other people have given up on Ben and he constantly proves them wrong. He's inspiring, clever and so funny."

The organisers of the Colorado event say it is important in sending a message to the wider public.

Kirk Bauer, president of Disabled Sport USA, said: "When you go up there and you see someone who can't use their legs going 50mph down the slope, it's kind of hard to say they're not able."

Ben has become an energetic fundraiser for disabled veterans and has also completed a skydive with the Pilgrim Bandits.

He has regular speech therapy sessions and is hoping to receive new hi-tech prosthetic legs by the spring.