An End to My Skiing Days

A friend of mine moved to Denver in the summer so I immediately made plans to visit her in the winter to get in some skiing. We went to Keystone, close to Breckenridge and Vail, over Martin Luther King's Day weekend. It had been extremely cold there but on Saturday it warmed up to the high teens/low 20's. By Sunday, the sun had come out and it was beautiful. On the mountain top, it was clear and the mountain peaks covered with snow were all around us. A magnificent sight. We found a great intermediate run and I was so relaxed skiing down it with a picture postcard view in front of me.


After lunch, we decided to try it once again. Little piles of snow were forming all on the run and I happened to run into one. But, instead of turning, I ran into it like running into a brick wall, I fell and my ski did not release causing my knee to contort in quite an unnatural position. I felt a pain like I never felt and was so thankful my friend was behind me to come and take my ski off. After getting my breadth back and waiting about 10 minutes, my knee felt fine so I got back on my skis only to find out my right knee would not support me. I tried to slip slide down the slope but no luck. Only one option: Ski Patrol!

What an amazing group of people. What would skiers do without them. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Ski Patrol. My "rescuer" arrived fairly quickly given the logistics. He splinted my leg and got me in the tobaggon. He had to take me down the slope I was on, then back up the chair to another mountain and down another slope (which probably was a least 2 miles long).

Keystone has a medical center on-site and that's where I ended up. 4 hours later (missed the Packers/Giants game), no broken bones but probably had a torn ACL. An MRI when I came back to DC confirmed this (Goal #2 - Find a surgeon and get a diagnosis). Flying home was no fun (2 planes) and I was not able to walk well so I needed a wheelchair (one quick way to get thru security!). I also had to contend with skis, boots and luggage. I was never so glad to step into my house (Goal #1 - Get home) thanks to wonderful workers at the airports and my friends who drove me to DIA and picked me up at DCA.

Two weeks later, I'm still wearing a brace and limping. I'm taking PT to make the knee stronger to get it ready for surgery (Goal #3 - strengthen the knee and fully extend). Surgery (Goal #4) needs to wait until the swelling goes away and I can get full extension - at this point my knee is still swollen and I can't fully extend my leg. This down period is nothing compared to what is to come post-surgery (Goal #5 - recover from surgery) - not to mention the 4-6 months of PT and rehab (Goal #6).

When you are active, this type of injury is so depressing and frustrating. I usually do something everyday (run, yoga, work out, bike ride, etc.) and this inactivity is killing me - not to mention the pounds that surely will come. Plus being dependent on people (groceries, rides to the doctor, etc.) adds more stress. And, let's not forget that I just bought new ski boots for $380. Anybody need a pair of almost new ski boots?

I was wondering if I would indeed try to ski again next year (you can do this, lots of skiers, and other athletes, return to their sport of choice). But, I also have problems with my left knee, which has already given out a few times. The risk just out weights the benefits for me so my 20 years of skiing will now only be a memory. I'll be happy to run and ride my mountain bike again and I am looking so forward to that day.

Read more about Torn ACLs & Surgery on Adam Kalsey's Blog.