Ski accidents and injuries

[kiki]

This seems to be the year for ski accidents and injuries in my world! Anyone else need to commiserate?

I was hit by a snowboarder in December—sprained thumb and injured hamstring and calf, 4 weeks of physio ($$$!). I’ve had at least two really close calls since then where i could feel the air as they cut me off and swooped by me since

My aunt was hit by a snowboarder when visiting me in January but walked away ok.

Hubby has had 3 bad falls, apparently he isn’t sure what happened but sais he must have caught an edge. One time couldn’t stop/self arrest and went down a long and steep icy black run before stopping. A little banged up and it was apparently scary. This weekend he fell badly, hit his head hard, and broke/sprained his ribs. He sais he may give up skiing.

My instructors tell me not to worry but I am so stressed out and scared when skiing, all this makes it harder.

How do you keep putting that stuff aside and keep going?

 

[alison wong]

How do you keep putting that stuff aside and keep going?

My mentality is: if an accident "x" is happened to a person "y", it does not mean the same will happen to me.
With that said, I would still like to know about the accident. By knowing it, at least I can do something to prevent this from happening to me.

That's how I keep going. Basically, I don't want other people's mishap to deter me from pursuing something I am interested in.

 

[JewelsNP]

Never thought it would happen to me. I was hit without warning by an out of control skier the day after Christmas in Whistler. I had surgery to repair a fractured tibial plateau and lateral meniscus tear and also have a fractured arm. Looking at 10-12 weeks of non weight bearing and then long road of rehab. I plan to ski again and hope to overcome the fear because I love it so much. Some things are just out of our control.

 

[Powgirl]

Hi, @kiki ...


SO and I not only reserve our skiing to during the week, but we also get off the slope a little after lunch. It seems to me that the most reckless are out around lunchtime and the weekends...today was a good example. We were on a black run after lunch and watched a fast, out of control skier whip by us...his form was so bad, it was steep and he had some speed. The next run, a boarder almost slide into me on the same steep hill. We get out early and end early, sometimes skipping lunch to avoid this type of thing. We have the luxury of picking and choosing our times...I realise not everyone does, but if you can

I took a bad tumble on a black run last year...it was the universe telling me I had bitten off more than I could handle and to head back to terrain I could manage...it helped me to regain much needed confidence...maybe it would help your husband, too. He also might take his skis in to be checked...

Gosh, it sounds like he took a pretty good fail...hope he heals quickly!

 

[Powgirl]

Never thought it would happen to me. I was hit without warning by an out of control skier the day after Christmas in Whistler. I had surgery to repair a fractured tibial plateau and lateral meniscus tear and also have a fractured arm. Looking at 10-12 weeks of non weight bearing and then long road of rehab. I plan to ski again and hope to overcome the fear because I love it so much. Some things are just out of our control.

I am so sorry this happened to you! Does the resort know the extent your injuries?

 

[kiki]

Never thought it would happen to me. I was hit without warning by an out of control skier the day after Christmas in Whistler. I had surgery to repair a fractured tibial plateau and lateral meniscus tear and also have a fractured arm. Looking at 10-12 weeks of non weight bearing and then long road of rehab. I plan to ski again and hope to overcome the fear because I love it so much. Some things are just out of our control.

@JewelsNP my experiences are also at Whistler. It seems much more crowded and rowdy and less patrolled this year. I hope you filed a report as they need to step up safely!

 

[kiki]

Hi, @kiki ...


SO and I not only reserve our skiing to during the week, but we also get off the slope a little after lunch. It seems to me that the most reckless are out around lunchtime and the weekends...today was a good example. We were on a black run after lunch and watched a fast, out of control skier whip by us...his form was so bad, it was steep and he had some speed. The next run, a boarder almost slide into me on the same steep hill. We get out early and end early, sometimes skipping lunch to avoid this type of thing. We have the luxury of picking and choosing our times...I realise not everyone does, but if you can

I took a bad tumble on a black run last year...it was the universe telling me I had bitten off more than I could handle and to head back to terrain I could manage...it helped me to regain much needed confidence...maybe it would help your husband, too. He also might take his skis in to be checked...

Gosh, it sounds like he took a pretty good fail...hope he heals quickly!

@Powgirl yes good advice! I can only ski on weekends but have observed early morning is less rowdy than after lunch.
I do think hubby needs new skis and boots and maybe a lesson! We will see how he feels after recovery.

 

[JewelsNP]

I am so sorry this happened to you! Does the resort know the extent your injuries?

They made an incident report at the time of the accident and transported me down the mountain and to medical care. I emailed them after to obtain a copy of the report and to inform them of my injuries.

 

[JewelsNP]

@JewelsNP my experiences are also at Whistler. It seems much more crowded and rowdy and less patrolled this year. I hope you filed a report as they need to step up safely!

I was at Whistler last year at the same time and they definitely were more crowded this holiday season. I will reach out again. The girl that hit me has told me that “ next time I’ll take lessons and next time I’ll be more careful”. I feel that lessons should be mandatory to ensure everyone knows the skiers code of responsibility and basic skills. This happened in a designated family safe zone. Lucky she did not hit a child.

 

[Serafina]

This is why my ski season consists of many short days. I get on the lifts as soon as they start running, and the minute I feel that the runs are getting crowded I either go to a less crowded area of the resort, or I pack it in. I've got a pretty low bar for what constitutes "crowded", too, because I really do not want to get taken out. It's also why I don't ever listen to music while skiing, even though I think that would be really cool. I'm not willing to tune out what's happening behind me.

The other day I heard someone else scraping along really close to me and kept skiing all over the run to get clear of that jerk's line, but they were sticking pretty close behind me. I skied into the tree line and stopped to give whoever it was a piece of my mind...but there was no one there. That's when I realized that what I was hearing was the spray of granular coming off the outsides of my turns and hitting the ice.

 

[Susan L]

We also avoid crowds by starting early right at 9am and finishing at 11:30/noon. We almost never ski after lunch eventhough my husband can only ski on weekends. It is not worth risking injuries by reckless skiers/boarders for just a few more laps.
I see many skiers going way too fast on steep slopes too much for their abilities to handle and the only way they could stop is to find something or someone to crash into. I don’t see what the fun is when they are wedging the whole way down with absolutely no control.
I usually wait until the run is fairly open/clear before heading down, and I don’t listen to music anymore. What annoys me most are the snowboarders who ride up the side of a run, then either drop or fall back down without looking at who is there!
Our mountain started offering this program called Sunrise tracks, where you get to go up at 8am instead of 9am and ski for an hour with an instructor as a chaperone. They do charge for this extra hour and my husband and I have been doing this every Sunday just to have the mountain to ourselves, not having to worry about other people.
So sorry about your and your husband’s experiences. Don’t let the stupidity of others deter you from doing what you enjoy. You just have to pay more attention to your surroundings and avoid putting youself in situations - like dropping in a run that is already crowded, or avoiding crowds by adjusting your ski times.

 

[Serafina]

We also avoid crowds by starting early right at 9am and finishing at 11:30/noon. We almost never ski after lunch eventhough my husband can only ski on weekends.

the motto in our household is "first chair, first beer".

 

[Little Lightning]

I'd like to know how to avoid injuries at the lift. 1st time I got injured I was waiting for the lift op to scan my pass. There was no one around. Snow boarder couldn't wait pushed past me, caught my right ski and pulled me with him. Resulted in a peroneal tendon injury which required PT. After 2 rounds with 2 different PT's I hired a personal trainer and worked hard on building strength in that leg/hip. 2 weeks ago while getting off the lift a ski instructor caught the tail of my ski, pulled me down and reinjured the left leg and foot. Haven't skied since the incident.

I also ski during the week. Try to watch others very carefully. If there is group starting down the hill when I'm ready to start I'll let them go first. If there are little kids I get as far away from them as I can get. If I can see runs from the lift I'll ski the least crowded run since many skiers ski in packs and seem to favor certain runs. I also know my mountain and which runs don't get as crowded so I ski those most of the time.

 

[Susan L]

@Little Lightning At the lift line, I always stay on the side whether there are people or not - side as in far left or far right. And I watch where my skis are - I avoid standing in a wide stance or a wedge and try to take up as little space as possible to minimize other skis/snowboards taking my tail with them.
Getting off the lift: I know which side most people turn once they get off the lift, so I try to sit on the unpopular side so others can just ski off while I go off in the opposite direction, and that determines which side of the line I take at the bottom. I also do a quick check with people riding with me where they intend to go once they get off. If you think they may cut you off, just asked if they could go straight/or out of your way instead. If I happen to get caught in the middle, besides checking directions with others on the chair, I'd also let others take off first before I push off. There is less chance of others taking out your skis if they are infront of you. Worse you can do is plow into them.
Also, stay away from snowboarders on the lift. Don't ride with them, try not to ride behind them, but if you HAVE to, see if you can skip a chair if it's not busy, or stick to the far left/right and be ready to ski past them from the side.

 

[Jilly]

Agree with skiing during the week. I skied both Monday and Tuesday this week, what a difference. But it's not always that easy. I agree with getting out early, quitting early. I've noticed quite an increase in people at Tremblant this year. Ikon pass for sure. Luckily we're having a good snow year right now.

Tremblant offers for a price or staying on mountain - First tracks. You get about 3/4 hr of extra skiing first thing before the lift opens for everyone else.

The other idea is to avoid the "popular" runs at certain times of the day.

 

[Susan L]

@Jilly Awesome deal $25 gets you extra 45mins! My mountain (Taos) charges $75 for 1 hour...

 

[Little Lightning]

@Little Lightning At the lift line, I always stay on the side whether there are people or not - side as in far left or far right. And I watch where my skis are - I avoid standing in a wide stance or a wedge and try to take up as little space as possible to minimize other skis/snowboards taking my tail with them.
Getting off the lift: I know which side most people turn once they get off the lift, so I try to sit on the unpopular side so others can just ski off while I go off in the opposite direction, and that determines which side of the line I take at the bottom. I also do a quick check with people riding with me where they intend to go once they get off. If you think they may cut you off, just asked if they could go straight/or out of your way instead. If I happen to get caught in the middle, besides checking directions with others on the chair, I'd also let others take off first before I push off. There is less chance of others taking out your skis if they are infront of you. Worse you can do is plow into them.
Also, stay away from snowboarders on the lift. Don't ride with them, try not to ride behind them, but if you HAVE to, see if you can skip a chair if it's not busy, or stick to the far left/right and be ready to ski past them from the side.

The snowboarder got me while I was standing in the lift line with us and a couple of others waiting to be scanned. He came up behind me caught my ski and plowed on. No idea what he was doing, it looked like he was trying to catch up with someone. Worst part, he didn't realize why he couldn't move forward. Finally, my SO started yelling at him. He didn't even stop to get his pass scanned.
Second guy, 2 weeks ago invited himself on the chair with the 2 of us. He came up into the middle between us. Unfortunately, I was on the right side. Everyone was forced to unload to the right. After I fell I was worried about being in the way of others and looked at my location. I was way inside the curve out of unloading skier's way. Since my legs are short I usually hold back and unload last when my feet touch the ground so I can't figure out how he got me. It was a quad with 3 of us. Should have been plenty of room to unload. At times I've held back and ridden by myself if I felt uncomfortable with others around me.

 

[Susan L]

@Little Lightning It really sucks to get injured when you were just an innocent by-stander! I torn my ACL and MCL getting off the lift on a snowboard. Not because I couldn't get off, but because the lift op did not stop the lift when people in front of me fell and started piling up! I had no problem getting by the pile of people, until one guy decided to fool around and kicked his snowboard out instead of clearing the hell out of the area as fast as possible. He clipped my snowboard, my body twisted forward while my legs went the other way. I heard and felt a POP and knew I was done for. I was out for the whole season because of that and I still have pain and swelling after I ski or golf now. I also fractured my tail bone at the terrain park when some idiot and his friend decided to take a break at a blind landing off a box. I had to fall to avoid chopping their heads off and I paid the price for it and my season was ruined. I just stay the hell away from people in general, especially snowboarders and anyone that looks like they don't know what they are doing. And if that means I have to wait to get on a chair or wait to go down a run, so be it. I am getting older now and I can't afford to get injured because of irresponsible people.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

^ ^ Taking a break at a blind landing....
This sounds like what happened to my son. ACL #2 gone.
My sympathies. It is totally season-ending.

 

[Susan L]

@MaineSkiLady Sorry about your son. I seriously don't understand why common sense is called common sense because most people have no clue what it means!
Just last week, I had to tell a guy who was on a ski bike to get off the run because he stopped right at the bottom of a steep, blind drop and just sat there in the middle of the run! Of all the places he could sit, he chose that spot. I did not see him until I drop down the steep and had to hockey stop next to him to tell him that's a bad spot to sit around and to move on. If I ski recklessly and got injured, I have no one else to blame but myself. But it pisses me off when people put other people at risk because they have no common sense...