Twas a fine spring day in the Seattle area, and I decided that this was my last shot to use the two free passes I received for my fundraising efforts in last year's Climb. My friend Laura and I headed up to Alpental ski area to take advantage of the warm, sunny weather and get a few turns in. I also brought along my new, waterproof camera so I could take some pictures of the terrain.
I was feeling pretty lucky. I had minor shoulder surgery nine days earlier to repair some old damage, and the shoulder was feeling good enough to ski. I just wanted to make sure I didn't take any hard falls. I figured I would take it easy.
Laura and I skied on the lower slopes first, but the upper lift and bowls were so much more enticing. So, she and I decided to do a couple of runs on our own, then meet back up for lunch. I headed up. The first run was great! Snow wasn't so hot, but the weather sure was. I didn't even need a hat or gloves.
The second run started off well. As I stood at the top of Upper International, I watched a small avalanche come down near me. I saw people eating lunch on the flat section way below. The mountains looked beautiful. I was happy to be alive. I got about halfway down, then disaster struck. As I went into a turn, my left leg got stuck in the snow. I couldn't get it to release, though the rest of me was leaning downhill. It really didn't hurt too much when I fell, but the pop was bad, as was the immediate nausea and cold sweat. At least I was smart and didn't try to ski down.
Needless to say, I was late to my lunch date. Poor Laura finally gave up waiting for me and had a beer. I highly recommend avoiding the ski sled for getting off the mountain. Going down headfirst on your back with no shocks is not fun for either you or the ski patrol. But, we made it eventually.
As luck would have it, I had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon the next day to get my stitches out. Despite the good case of denial I had going on, I was able to get the ACL tear diagnosis thrown in as a bonus. Certainly not the news I was hoping for, but not unexpected. A subsequent MRI showed I partially tore my MCL and did some meniscus damage in addition to the ruptured ACL. Hopefully, the doctors' predictions that I can do my kayaking, hiking, backpacking, and climbing this summer and fall will prove correct!
I was feeling pretty lucky. I had minor shoulder surgery nine days earlier to repair some old damage, and the shoulder was feeling good enough to ski. I just wanted to make sure I didn't take any hard falls. I figured I would take it easy.
Laura and I skied on the lower slopes first, but the upper lift and bowls were so much more enticing. So, she and I decided to do a couple of runs on our own, then meet back up for lunch. I headed up. The first run was great! Snow wasn't so hot, but the weather sure was. I didn't even need a hat or gloves.
The second run started off well. As I stood at the top of Upper International, I watched a small avalanche come down near me. I saw people eating lunch on the flat section way below. The mountains looked beautiful. I was happy to be alive. I got about halfway down, then disaster struck. As I went into a turn, my left leg got stuck in the snow. I couldn't get it to release, though the rest of me was leaning downhill. It really didn't hurt too much when I fell, but the pop was bad, as was the immediate nausea and cold sweat. At least I was smart and didn't try to ski down.
Needless to say, I was late to my lunch date. Poor Laura finally gave up waiting for me and had a beer. I highly recommend avoiding the ski sled for getting off the mountain. Going down headfirst on your back with no shocks is not fun for either you or the ski patrol. But, we made it eventually.
As luck would have it, I had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon the next day to get my stitches out. Despite the good case of denial I had going on, I was able to get the ACL tear diagnosis thrown in as a bonus. Certainly not the news I was hoping for, but not unexpected. A subsequent MRI showed I partially tore my MCL and did some meniscus damage in addition to the ruptured ACL. Hopefully, the doctors' predictions that I can do my kayaking, hiking, backpacking, and climbing this summer and fall will prove correct!
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