No ACL, no surgery, no problem - My new normal as a Coper

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As I plan trips for the 2024-25 season, here’s a summary of 2023-24 for my continuing story as a successful coper.

I skied 65 days in 2023-24 with more adventure skiing than in recent years, partially because I was more deliberate about ski conditioning during Summer and Fall 2023. Finished with 43 days out west. I opted to not fly to ski in February so skied more at my home hill in northern VA, Massanutten, for a total of 16 days over several long weekends with friends and family. I decided to drive to Michigan for a January ski safari to satisfy my curiosity about midwest skiing. I took advantage of having Ikon and Indy, as well as the chance to ski with a Diva who was attending the annual Midwest Ski Fest at Nub’s Nob of the 70 Plus Ski Club.

2023-24 Skiing Overview (days), driving in Dec-Feb, flying Mar-Apr

Dec: Wolf Creek (7), Vail (2), Beaver Creek (1)
Early Jan: Massanutten (10), Timberline (1)
Mid-Jan: Caberfae (1), Nub’s Nob (1), The Highlands (2), Boyne Mountain (1)
Feb: Massanutten (6)
Early Mar: Grand Targhee (2), Big Sky (6), Bridger (2)
Late Mar: Keystone (1), Breckenridge (1), Crested Butte (5)
Apr: Alta (14), Deer Valley (1), Snowbird (1)

Wolf Creek in December has become the annual early season destination. I drive my RAV4 AWD Prime PHEV from North Carolina to Colorado to meet up with the usual crew. Staying at Alta Lodge in April and meeting up with old friends has been how I've ended my season for about fifteen years.

Notes about Wolf Creek conditions 2023-24:
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...-with-2022-23-season.27093/page-3#post-490590

I got Epic Local for the Crested Butte trip. Once I had my first Epic pass, I thought about how to extend the trips to Colorado to sample more Epic resorts. Enough lifts and terrain open in mid-December for me to get a feel for Vail and Beaver Creek while skiing solo. Having become confident enough to explore any black trails with my primary ski buddy, Bill, we covered every area of Keystone, Breck, and CB in March. The idea was to ride every major lift and ski at least one run in all areas of a resort. The trail maps make a lot more sense after having first-hand experience. CB is small enough that I skied most of the named trails that aren't EX double-black during five ski days. Found several short fun shots in trees between green trails where kids have a great time.

Trip Reports
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...and-targhee-big-sky-bridger-march-2024.28419/
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...2024-spring-skiing-with-a-powder-storm.28560/

 

[marzNC]

For people new to this thread, please read Post #1 from October 2012 about why I started it. I’ve been skiing since the 2012-13 season without an ACL, having made an informed decision to work at being a “coper” instead of opting for ACL reconstruction surgery. The knee injury in June 2012 when I was 56 had nothing to do with skiing. In my case, an MRI showed that the collateral damage to the meniscus and the MCL strain could heal without medical intervention. I did physical therapy for several months. My ortho surgeon agreed with my decision at Month 3 after injury that surgery was not needed.

The silver lining for becoming a coper is that I started taking lessons fairly regularly. Started at my home hill, Massanutten, in northern Virginia. I’ve learned how to get recommendations for very experience instructors, usually PSIA Level 3 with 20+ years of experience. By the time I started doing Taos Ski Weeks in 2018, I'd improved from an adventurous intermediate to an advanced skier. I intend to continue taking lessons for quite a while. What I’ve learned in the last few years has made skiing even more fun, regardless of snow conditions, what region I'm skiing in, or if I’m exploring a resort for the first time.

The past season included several full-day semi-private lessons with friends. I didn’t do a Taos Ski Week but will be heading back to TSV in Feb 2025. I realized that I can integrate info from different instructors in a way that wasn’t possible a few years ago. Reached the stage that having a lesson from an instructor with a different approach is useful, instead of confusing. Especially for more subtle skills appropriate for senior advanced skiers. I keep my skis on the snow and have little interest in steep, narrow chutes with exposed rocks. Deep powder, bumps of any size, or trees with good snow are all of interest. Having better technique means that I have more fun skiing during a snowstorm or low visibility due to clouds or fog. I also have more fun on groomers. In fact, more fun than before because I know drills and skills that I can practice when I feel like it.

For big mountains in the Rockies, I’m now willing to explore double-black (sometimes labeled EX-Extreme) terrain with an instructor. That led to a few “adventure runs” in steep bowls on the upper mountain at Crested Butte (off the T-bars) that I never would’ve have imagined enjoying before popping off an ACL a dozen years ago.

2023-24 Semi-Private Lessons, all Full Day with 1-3 advanced ski buddies:
Dec: Wolf Creek (Tue, Thu) - Eric Bloom, powder lessons, 2nd season
Early Mar: Big Sky - not a PSIA instructor, woman with international background, soft bumps
Early Mar: Bridger Bowl - Ric Blevins, fundamental skills, 5th season (first lesson in 2012)
Late Mar: Crested Butte - Jackie B-L, recommended by Eric (taught at CB), powder, bumps