A well-known Jasperite and helmet advocate is recovering in hospital after suffering a severe head injury at Marmot Basin.

Roy Patterson, 46, is currently out of intensive care and under observation at the University of Alberta Hospital. On March 11, Patterson fell at the end of a run, and was knocked unconscious. No one else was involved in the incident.

Patterson has been a huge advocate for helmets following a 1979 ski crash that left him with a severe brain injury that impaired his ability to walk and talk.

However on Thursday, because of the warm weather, Patterson was wearing his bike helmet instead of his ski helmet in an attempt to stay cool. He fell near the end of a run, knocking himself unconscious.

“He had a bad fall and suffered a head injury,” said Community Outreach Services worker Patrick Mooney.

He was immediately transferred to Edmonton, where he was hooked up to breathing tubes. His condition has improved since then.

“What we’re hearing is good. He’s out of intensive care and breathing on his own” said Leigh Pitoulis, a friend of Patterson’s who went to the hospital Monday to visit him. “He’s not talking, but he’s recognizing people.”

Patterson suffered severe brain damage in 1979 after a ski crash at the Lake Louise Ski Hill. He was basically in a vegetative state for three months following the crash before finally waking up. He progressed to the point that doctors determined his brain was still active, and began rehabilitation, learning how to walk, talk and ski again – the process took seven years.

He moved to Jasper 13 years ago as part of a plan to have him work at Marmot Basin. However when that didn’t work out, he began spending time at the Palisades Centre, performing odd jobs such as raking and photocopying, and has been a fixture at many community events.

“His determination has helped him complete a lot of things,” Pitoulis said.

She’s been helping Patterson for years and said he was able to communicate through squeezing her hand when she visited him Monday.

Much of his time is still spent sleeping, she said, and it will take time to determine how much of his speech will return.

“He has a really good sense of humour. He’s pretty determined. He has the street smarts to survive most situations,” she said. “His memory is sporadic. It may appear he remembers things, he has good learned response.”

Patterson’s been skiing three times a week at Marmot Basin, and while he’s suffered other injuries, he hadn’t re-injured his head until Thursday. Pitoulis said his determination keeps him returning to the hill. But now, his condition is being monitored to see how much the body can recover.

“We’ll wait and see what the body can do,” Pitoulis said.

She said short visits would be welcomed by Patterson, who is capable of recognizing faces.

“Stimulation is good for anyone who’s had a brain injury,” Pitoulis said.

The community has been sending well wishes his way.

“Everybody missed him and was thinking about him at the community dinners and at church,” Mooney said.

Marmot Basin did not comment on the accident. The University of Alberta hospital does not release details about patients.