Spinal Cord Injury

US Winter Paralympic race training with National Abilities Center (NAC)

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment

Today, I had the opportunity to ski with alpine skiers trying to make the 2018 US Winter Paralympic team at Park City, the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was a very informative experience as I had never even swung myself around race gates before. Today, the team was working on GS (Giant Slalom), so were out in their skinny, long GS skis. I found out the minimum height for GS skis for women, regardless of height and weight, is 183cm. And of course, it gets longer for Super-G and downhill events. This is a disadvantage for the smaller and shorter girls like myself, but why should I stop pursuing sports that I am not genetically pre-dispositioned for? :p

The prestigious and luxurious NAC double-wide trailer that houses lockers and equipment and changing space

The prestigious and luxurious NAC double-wide trailer that houses lockers and equipment and changing space

Ski resorts can be a dangerous place, I guess

Ski resorts can be a dangerous place, I guess

Erik, the Head Alpine coach, had given me information on what to expect today, but I still was not sure what that would entail. The first part of the session from 9am to 11.15am or so was spent warming up and little drills. This was followed by a 15 min or so bathroom break before heading out to the race course. At the race course, Erik and Shannon, a visiting coach from Australia, had us go down one by one while they videoed us and gave us verbal feedback on the course.

Racing down icy black runs is not exactly my idea of fun

Racing down icy black runs is not exactly my idea of fun

I was very conservative because I really did not want to cause further injury to the right leg. The overwhelming feeling I had was, I really like ripping it when I’m just skiing for fun because no one is making me do it. If I were to race, it would feel a lot like a job (which it would be to some degree), and that would make it no fun at all.

Then there is the risk of another injury. The video below shows a sit-skier with the Mexican team who was in the recent Sochi Winter Olympics. It turns out he had a bad crash and sustained an even higher level of spinal cord injury (T10-ish) than his previous one (L-level). He is holding back a lot in the video below because he is hurting, and also basically learning how to ski again with his reduced function. Why would he want to ski again? I guess people ask me the same thing with respect to climbing: Aren’t you worried about getting hurt again? It’s about living and feeling alive; yet, climbing and its risks (which, to me, are much lower) are acceptable to me, whereas hurtling down and icy slope to beat a clock/other people is not.

The day ended with brief video analysis. I was surprised that the video analysis was as quick as it was. But I suppose these guys see each other most every week day.

Another source of hesitancy, besides my personality and motivation, is the financial side of things. Being poor to freeze my ass off in lycra to ski down ice is not terribly appealing. Sure, you could piece together an existence, with grants, scholarships, jobs, and a low cost of living. But any other disposable income or saving for retirement? Forget about it. I am not ruling the possibility of racing entirely out, but I know for a fact I have a lot more fun free-skiing.

Well, this round of skiing is coming to an end. I am hoping to squeeze in a morning ski tomorrow before having to start my drive back to Cambridge, MA tomorrow afternoon. I can’t say I am too excited about three days of sitting on my ass all day long driving. While equipment and physical setbacks made me have to skip out on Colorado and New Mexico this time round, there is a chance I can make a dedicated CO ski trip between when I return from Chamonix and the start of my new job. Of course this depends on a number of factors, including my body. Such a trip would make me very happy as I would get to return to a place I love very much (Telluride) and see friends there.

Return to Utah

/ Wendy Ong / 2 Comments

“We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. You always have the choice.” –Dalai Lama

Looking over Mineral Basin

Looking over Mineral Basin

Over the course of this trip (perhaps “expedition” is the proper word: unpredictable, setbacks, recoveries, lots of travel, and even some skiing (credit: Scott)), resentment and frustration about shit going wrong and why (related to my spinal cord injury) surfaced many times. Sometimes it felt like I was swept away by these negative emotions. But the above quote reminds me that I do have a choice in how I respond and react.

So why did I choose to return to the Salt Lake City area after such a disastrous stay 10 days earlier? Part of me wanted to redeem myself/SLC; part of me wanted to take up this opportunity to hang out and experience a training day with the US Paralympic Alpine Ski team. I did consider booking it to Telluride to ski there and Taos, before having to drive back to Cambridge, MA on Friday afternoon at the latest, but conditions were not so much more superior to make the abysmal driving/skiing ratio worth it. SLC was relatively close (a 5 hour drive from Jackson, WY), and I knew I could get in skiing at a number of resorts there.

A glimpse of the moon

A glimpse of the moon

What a difference bluebird skies and warm temperatures can make to ones mood and skiing experience. Despite no recent snow fall, the coverage at Snowbird was excellent and decent snow was to be found if you went a little hunting, and also because the aspects of the slopes mean they don’t get totally baked (e.g. like in Jackson). Utah resorts typically have a much later season, so having this much snow so early in the season has been unusual for them, and more than a few locals have said this is the best coverage they have seen for this time of year in awhile. The warmer temperatures made for a warmer, less stiff boot, which helped the lower leg pain too. I’ve been having to diligently ice, NSAID, massage etc. to get through each ski day, but the leg held up decently today and I managed to stay out longer than expected.

On the way back from the ski resort, I was stopped by a police officer and let off with a warning for speeding (he was very nice about it, as I was just following the flow of traffic). He asked if I was a seasonal worker. I’m glad I look like enough of a ski bum/have enough cred to be mistaken for one :)

This is a terrible idea.

This is a terrible idea.

Testing continued, regaining mojo, human contact

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment

It was another bluebird day at Jackson Hole, and conditions were very similar to yesterday to continue to test the leg. I was in no rush to get first lift due to the extreme inversion effect here. Today’s temperature difference between the base and top was still 25 to 30 degF but I stayed up high the entire time in the sun and warmth.

I started later to avoid the extreme inversion effect like yesterday

Jackson Hole refers to the entire valley you see below.

The steroid seems to have taken fuller effect, and combined with diligent icing yesterday and anti-inflammatories ingested, the leg was feeling closer to its normal, strong self. While I know I should work on not having my mood be so dependent on my physical abilities/state, it felt really really good to be able to open it up and rip it.

It was perhaps not the smartest idea on an injured leg, but I could not resist doing the Alta Chutes, which are considered one of the most challenging in-bounds terrain.

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Cliff areas for good measure

Cliff areas for good measure

It is always nice to receive flattering compliments from other skiers, but today, I was particularly touched by a teenage girl who came up to me on the traverse to get to Alta Chutes. She told me how amazing I was and asked me how I moved so fast and I asked her if she was a ski-racer (her setup looked like it), and she said yes. She said she just wanted to come up and talk to me, and I thanked her very much for her kindness. I was just quite moved that someone would go out of there way to want to talk to me.

I also shared quite a few words with a trio of Swiss guys (I had asked them if they were Swiss because one of them had a “Gryon” (a municipality of the canton Vaud) patch on his pack. And then skied with a Jackson local. I think because I have been on my own so much on this trip, all this human interaction today played a role in bolstering my mood, along with the improvement in the leg.

Next stop, either another morning in Jackson or swinging through Grand Targhee and then back down to Salt Lake City, where I can avenge my terrible time there due to this injury.

Testing the leg at Jackson Hole

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment
Extreme temperature inversion today

Extreme temperature inversion today

Today was the litmus test to see if I could ski or have to cut this trip short. The answer is not entirely clear, as I am not sure whether it was the injury, a crash, or conditions that made me ski for only a short period of time today.

What is unequivocal however, is that today were the coldest temperatures I have ever skied in. The temperature at the base of the mountain was -32 degF (-36 degC) when I started. Quite uncivilized.

-32 degF = -36 degC. You know things are fucked when Fahrenheit and Celsius temps converge

-32 degF = -36 degC. You know things are fucked when Fahrenheit and Celsius temps converge

The inversion effect on the mountain was the most extreme I had ever experienced. There was a 30 degF plus difference between mountain top and base.

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A sea of clouds above the valley floor

I started off very conservatively, and while things were far from pain-free, I managed to stay in control the first few test runs on the groomers. Bear in mind, I really did not open myself up into full GS mode because that outside edge was still giving me problems. I was certainly not carving properly, and doing the sliding/skid on that side, to my dismay; and groomers when you can’t totally rip it just are not that fun. I crashed going at a decent speed and hurt my leg there, but after a moments rest and unbuckling my boot to give the leg some relief, I decided to test things out more on more interesting terrain. I tried not to feel bad that all the fresh snow was gone, and every thing was very hard from being tracked out and from the cold.

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This stuff is usually pretty mellow for me, but my leg made me approach things cautiously and without confidence :(

The lack of new snow made conditions quite challenging for me, because of the impact of the hard snow on the leg.

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Tracked out, hard snow. It wasn’t that much fun, but it was nice to be out under the blue sky.

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The crash really did me in because I was kept falling any time I needed to hold that outside edge. When I am face climbing (versus crack-climbing) I tend to trend to the right before having to return back to the route if it is to the left, because I am always leading with that right side. Today, I found myself skiing down to the left (inside edge) as much as possible until I would have to stop, sit, and flip the ski around to change direction. It was a bit sad.

Super tracked out under the tram

Super tracked out under the tram

I will continue to test the leg out on Monday (Martin Luther King Day), but will likely be relegated to easy groomers, which is really not what you go to Jackson Hole for. I have certainly become familiar with the town and the surrounding area, and it was wonderful to come back to a place I love but had never been to in the wintertime. But I’m ready to hit the road soon and move on.

Phelps Lake snowshoe

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment

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While I waited for my cortisone shot from yesterday to take effect and test skiing out tomorrow (Sunday), I decided to check out the Granite Canyon Trailhead area near Moose, WY, also within the Grand Teton National Park. Like Thursday’s snowshoe, the plowed road ends and you can snowshoe or cross-country ski in. I picked this starting point because it was not a long drive from me, but also known for being very quiet. Indeed, I had the entire place to myself and did not encounter a single person on my snowshoe to Phelps Lake. The only downside to such a quiet location was that I found myself having to break trail a lot of the way, but this was a good way to stay warm on this cold day. The temperature at the start of my snowshoe was -15 degF (-26 degC)and when I returned a few hours later, it was still negative Fahrenheit (-18 degC). I probably seem like a cold weather wimp, but I actually have no problems with these kinds of temperatures when the humidity is low.

A colder day today

A colder day today

Even though the pace of this kind of activity is slower than I like it to be all the time, the surroundings remind me of the serenity and sense of home these mountains bring to me. I would seriously consider making Jackson Hole home, or a part-time home, but employment opportunities and the health care infrastructure are rather poor here, and I would like to be closer to a major airport for international travel.

A slightly overcast morning

A slightly overcast morning

Quiet.

Quiet.

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I had to veer off and break trail soon after this point

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Phelps Lake was the reward for the solitude and breaking trail.

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Phelps Lake and Mount Hunt and Prospector’s Mountain behind it

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Prospector’s Mountain (11,240′)

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I came across this van today and had to smile. Looks like someone else had the same idea as me…

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A familiar looking set of stickers…

They must be as excellent a planner as I am if they are Swiss. They have probably been better on the execution part though :-/

I left this note on their van :)

I left this note on their van :)

I think the leg is doing better as it was not hurting as much as it did on Thursday’s snowshoe. I am keeping my fingers crossed tomorrow’s test on ski (singular) will be a smashing success.

The Peace of Wild Things

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment

I needed to get out and recharge my very depleted batteries from the last fortnight of misfortunes. One of my favourite poems describes the sense of peace and home this morning in Grand Teton National Park.

A familiar place...

A familiar place…

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

–Wendell Berry

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The light changes so quickly.

I knew that there was going to be a lot of snow but I didn’t realize just how deep it would be. It would make travel slow-going.

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The snow bank came close to my shoulders

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The end of the plowed road and start of the snow-shoeing.

I was eager for the sun to hit me.

I was eager for the sun to hit me.

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Which it did.

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An errant side track that led to nowhere. It was one of the few spots where there was an existing track of some kind.

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I was quite interested in the touring possibilities in that gully.

Because of all the new snow, breaking trail was very tiring for me. I had to stop far far short of my original destination because I knew I had to save my left leg for the return journey back to the car, and also my lower right leg muscle was aching and I did not want to reduce the chances of skiing any further.

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My tracks.

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There was little danger of me exceeding the speed limit.

PT and orthopedic specialist appointments tomorrow – fingers crossed these will yield (fast) dividends so that I can ski.

Peroneus longus muscle – continued injury and pain, and action plan

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment

Today was storm riding day at Jackson.

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A momentary respite from the snow and wind

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Unfortunately, I was hardly able to take advantage of these epic conditions because of the excruciating lateral lower right leg pain previously experienced in Alta, UT. I thought the almost one week of rest would have fixed the issue, but this was not the case. I found that I could not ski safely on even easy terrain. Every little bump or any kind of pressure/exertion on the outside (right) turn hurt so much that I could not control my boot/ski. I focused on trying to reach the base area safely and went into the boot-fitters therefght to see if they might be able to offer any suggestions. After briefly explaining my situation and skiing setup to the boot-fitter, I decided to schedule an appointment with him tomorrow morning (his earliest opening) thinking that there might be stuff that could be done to my boot around the cuff to help alleviate the pain. I tried using some silicone shin pad protectors, as an interim solution, but they offered no relief (this was before I identified the true cause, so I guess the fact they did not work for me is not a surprise and should not be a judgment of the product’s intended use). I was/am feeling very desperate, and wasn’t sure whether to seek treatment here e.g. get cortisone shots to deal with the pain (this would be a very short-term fix and would not treat this pain in the future, such as when I am supposed to ski in Chamonix in February), call it quits and drive back to the East Coast, or what to do…

This is definitely not simple shin bang. I had initially thought it was a shin issue, but after an internet search for lateral leg pain related to skiing, I am positive it is my Peroneus longus muscle that is hurting so much. This is actually not a common muscle to be injured for skiers (or for runners, or people/athletes in general for that matter). But, this excerpt from the linked Wikipedia article explains it all:

“Taking their fixed points below, the fibularis muscles serve to steady the leg upon the foot.[2] This is especially the case in standing upon one leg, when the tendency of the superincumbent weight is to throw the leg medialward; the fibularis longus overcomes this tendency by drawing on the lateral side of the leg.[2]”

So this really sucks right. My leg pain is due to the very fact I ski on one leg. Having high arches exacerbates this issue : “However, due to your high arches, the bones of your feet including the cuboid tend to be in a more rigid and fixed position. Therefore, your Peroneus Longus experiences extra stress from this lost mechanical advantage because it pulls harder in an attempt to bring the medial arch closer to the ground. Over time, this excess pulling causes strain to the muscle.”

After much calling around, I have made some short-term plans:

  1. Wednesday 8:00 am: Appointment with boot-fitter (I made this appointment before identifying the true issue, but I still hope this might help with pain)
  2. Wednesday 10:00am: Appointment with physiotherapist in Jackson, WY
  3. Friday PM: Appointment with orthopedic specialist to perhaps get cortisone shots

This is not how I wanted to be experiencing Jackson Hole, WY.

Depending on the above, I may have to truncate this big road trip and drive back East. I’ll be even more upset if this issue prevents me from snow-shoeing or walking. I was in tears as I told this to Scott, who responded with, this could happen to anyone Wendy. I know he was trying to console me. But I said, NO, my outriggers wouldn’t have broken if I didn’t have to use them because of my accident. NO, this part of my leg would not be hurting so much and preventing me from skiing if it wasn’t because of my accident and I had to ski like this. I realize this sounds petulant, but I get very upset when something related to my SCI prevents me from just skiing one run, let alone taking advantage of amazing conditions in Jackson Hole of all places. I feel like I am not asking for much. Skiing isn’t the most important thing around by a long shot, but like I said, it seems like yet another thing I love that I cannot do.

I am having a hard time making peace with myself and physical circumstances. And to not be resentful. I have to though, right?? I can’t live a life feeling this way, feeling cheated or robbed, because there would be no joy in that whatsoever. I know pushing through (hard) things is one thing people admire about me; but I am tired. I am just tired.

My good friend George said that at least I am learning valuable information about how my body responds to skiing. This is true. I just wish I was not having to learn this information during what is supposed to be an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The short-term steps are just that, short-term to get through this acute stage of the injury. Longer-term plans: I was just told I should consider ankle physiotherapy to stabilize/retrain this process in my leg. Apparently this is a “known thing.”

 

A study in human and non-human equipment limitations

/ Wendy Ong / 2 Comments

Limitations/failures, depending on your mood for euphemisms…

I have been struggling. This trip, or at least the last week, seems to have been a study in human and non-human equipment limitations and failures (in very cold weather) :( After the debacle around my outriggers, and to a much lesser extent my stiffer, narrower (96mm) ski, I thought I was ready to move forward with the primary objective of this trip: fuckin’ SKIING, eh??!

Sun on the other side of the parking lot. It was shaping up to be a very cold but clear day.

Sun on the other side of the parking lot. It was shaping up to be a very cold but clear day.

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The non-human part

I knew it was going to be very cold today (I did not realize it was not going to get above 0 degF (-18 degC), and it was mostly around -6 degF (-21 degF) when I was out, before the slight wind chill).  I thought I had gotten use to dealing with these cold conditions and I had suited up my usual Himalaya-winter style, and was ready to enjoy skiing in Alta for the first time in many many years. But I did not anticipate the effect all this prolonged exposure to very cold conditions has had, except on my car key battery.

After my usual routine of suiting up like a clown, I inserted my cargo box key into the core to open it. It was not entering/turning. I try the other side/core. No luck. Now my cargo box has been a total champ on this trip. It has withstood very very high winds, and I purchased it based on its ease of operation, opening/closing.

I know the cargo box has been exposed to really really frigid temperatures, especially when you’re driving 80-90 mph on the freeway in ambient air temperatures around 0 degF. I have had the experience of having difficulty inserting and turning car keys in older cars in cold weather. But this was still surprising me. I keep fiddling around, jamming the cargo box key as hard as I can without breaking it (I worried that if I was too rough, the cargo box key would snap and be stuck in the core. I try the following things without success:

  • Breathing into the core, but I knew this was likely going to be totally useless
  • Pour my hot coffee over the car key to try and warm it up and thaw any frozen water that might have entered the core
  • Heat the car key with a borrowed lighter
  • Heat the core lock with the same borrowed lighter
  • Start the car, turn the heater to full blast, heat the car key in the vent, and quickly insert the key into the lock

As I mentioned before, a few days ago, I had my first minor accident where I steered my car into a snow bank. I knew that a ton of snow had gotten into the passenger side rear wheel and that the weather had not been warm enough for this to thaw. So I had been driving around with a bunch of frozen ice jammed up there, possibly affecting how the wheel and brakes work. Thus, I was heavily incentivized to get rid of this snow. I should have known the car washes would not be operational in negative Fahrenheit temperatures, but I still looked for one in Hailey, ID. No luck. I tried self-cleaning with one of those spray wands, but even with very hot water coming out, the temperatures and pressure were not high enough. So I was keen to look for a place to get a car wash in the relatively warmer Salt Lake City area. Before my road trip, as an experiment and also to get rid of Vermont mud/filth, I had taken my cargo box through a car wash in Somerville, MA, to see if the car wash would damage the box and if water would enter the box. The cargo box and its contents were unaffected. So I did not think twice about bringing my cargo box through a car wash here. Well, it turns out that temperatures even in the low teens are enough to possibly affect the functioning of the box. Water must have gotten into the core lock and frozen.

Last resort: Go to the cafeteria, get a cup of scalding hot water, hope it doesn’t get much colder by the time I get to the car, pour hot water over the core. Yes, I knew this water was just going to fuckin’ re-freeze but I had to get my cargo box open. The cargo box opened to my relief, and I took out both skis (my fat ski and my harder pack snow ski and outriggers). As a precautionary measure, I will now keep my skis and outriggers, as well as a thermos with hot water inside the car when I am going to a ski area.

So that made for a very fraught start to the morning :(

This was when temperatures were WARMER.

This was when temperatures were WARMER.

The human part

Well hands were very cold from dealing with wet, but I was ready to ski. I thought that the snow from previous days called for my fatter, softer 109mm underfoot ski. The snow was actually rock solid chunks, although the groomed runs would have been super fun on my stiffer Aura. I wasn’t feeling stellar but thought I just needed to get a few warm up runs in me. I also made the decision that I would give my 109mm ski another few goes but if the snow remained hard and chunky, I would head back to my car to get my 96mm Aura, which ended up being the decision I made.

There are many things about skiing on one leg that a lot of people who don’t ski the way I do don’t think about. Heck, I don’t even think about these things until they rear their ugly, highly inconvenient, heads. Today, three things came together to make me have to cut my day short:

  1. I ski on one leg, but I am not missing my other leg, so I still carry all its weight and my entire body weight pushes against my right shin when I ski. My outside (pinky-toe) edge is the more difficult side for me and I really need to bear down on that outer shin to make good turns on that side. I’ve had some right shin aches and pains before but never a huge deal. I was experiencing some soreness last night but thought it would be fine by the morning.
  2. I ski on a pretty/very stiff ski boot, especially for someone by size/weight.
  3. I have been skiing in very cold temperatures

So while I have not had that many ski days given how long my trip has been, the fact that I have been pushing myself/skiing hard, in a stiff boot whose stiffness has been exacerbated by the very cold temperatures, on one leg has caused my outer right shin to hurt so much that I was openly weeping as I skied today. I am a big, emotional cry-baby, but it takes a lot of physical pain to make me cry. I just wanted to make it back to the car without getting into an accident, which was challenging because I couldn’t exert that pressure on my shin to be in total control.

I know the cargo box thing could have happened to anyone in these weather conditions, and who had to get the snow off around the wheels. But I am particularly upset because yet another ski day was cut short by something related to my spinal cord injury. I am applying heat, external analgesics, will take anti-inflammatories, and was using a compression wrap to try and get the pain and inflammation down. But I am feeling very down and thwarted. I am not even sure there is a solution to this; just “management.” Maybe it is about limiting number of skiing days in very cold weather; skiing in milder temps. Portable battery or car-battery powered hair-dryers. Or staying at home, sitting on the couch all day, and eating bonbons.

Sun Valley Day 2 – a slight change of heart about the place

/ Wendy Ong / Leave a comment

Oh, how fickle my opinion can be of a place. While still very far from the top fav ski areas, 4-5″ of fresh snow improved my opinion of Sun Valley considerably. The overnight snow, snow all through the morning, and moderate temperatures in the low to mid-teens (Farenheit) made for stellar conditions this morning. The bowls filled in and were no longer icy waist high bumps. The bowls all start of fluffy and steep but pretty much all of the runs end up being those harder waist-high bumps, so my right leg was worked by the time lunch time rolled around.

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Bumps are tiring

 

I did have to spend a fair bit of time deciding a) where do I go next – Jackson Hole, or Utah, and b) whether to try and get ahead of the big storm rolling through southern Idaho and the Salt Lake City area (forecast for 40″ by the time the storm watch is over tomorrow afternoon). Driving in the dark and snow on less than maintained highways this afternoon/evening did not seem smart, and I was not even sure if my car would be able to make it up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Alta/Snowbird tomorrow morning anyway. So I am staying put for the night and tomorrow will likely be an enforced rest day as I wait to trail this Pacific system moving through.

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The no-google-tan-whatsoever tour continues

 

 

Equipment setback and recovery – Sun Valley, ID

/ Wendy Ong / 2 Comments

I am thankful to Higher Ground, the Sun Valley Adaptive Sports program that helped me fix my outriggers. The person I was supposed to meet did not show up, but after a phone call, the director of operations made sure someone did come by to try and help me. We could not find a stand alone spare spring, but I suggested that we find a broken outrigger and take the spring off that, and that is what we did. Outriggers fixed, yay.

It took me awhile to find the lift area and get my pass, but that happened and I was ready to ski. Finally.

It was a beautiful morning as the sun rose and clouds cleared.

It was a beautiful morning as the sun rose and clouds cleared.

But, WTF, what was wrong with me??! I felt like I could not ski at all! My ski was not holding an edge at times, or hanging on for too long. Was it because I was fat and had been a lazy sod the last 3 days and sitting on my bloody arse? I took a few more runs trying to figure out what was going on. It must have been because I filed my own ski edges the day before and I must have fucked that up. I went to the ski shop in the main lodge to see if they might be able to take a look and do a quick tune. When I brought my ski in and explained what was going on, the ski tech immediately nodded and was like, yep, I see what is going on. I had taken off too much off the base edges, and my side edges were totally trashed (from use and my attempts to fix it as well). He was able to get my ski turned around in 20 minutes so that I did not have to throw away yet another day due to yet another piece of equipment failure.

I took the ski out and breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, it was the ski and not entirely me. Although I was skiing out of sorts today just from sitting in a car all day and eating McDonalds :( I was able to rail on that ski though.

Clouds clearing in the distance

Clouds clearing in the distance

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Conditions were dust on very hard crust, so it actually was not that fun skiing. Sun Valley is a good mountain if you want to rail on your downhill and GS turns; I can see why Picabo Street came from here. But the whole vibe and place is not really my scene. It seems like there are a lot of rich douchebags. Not that being rich makes you automatically a douchebag, but I am trying to characterize a particular type of skier. The kind who feels entitled, complains and grumbles about even the most minor of inconveniences. The kind who will knock down skis/snowboards on a rack and not pick them up. I found the town of Ketchum, ID to be extremely dull, and I am generally suspect of ski towns with a Lululemon in them. The highlight of Ketchum will be going to the Pioneer Saloon and eating an Idaho potato that weighs in at over a pound. Seriously.

That being said, I can say in retrospect that despite the shit show on New Years Day and the equipment setbacks with my outriggers and ski, I managed to find a solution and get things back on track. On a big trip like this, stuff is bound to go wrong. I will make use of my second day at Sun Valley that comes with the Mountain Collective pass, and continue on my way to Utah and Wyoming.

I also realize that there are not many people with my physical situation doing what I am doing. That’s probably why Whistler Adaptive was so not helpful for me. A lot of adaptive skiers require more supervision. Whereas I am on this big road trip, managing on my own for the most part, until a key piece of equipment fails and I am a long way from home to get the part fixed/mailed to me. Adaptive programs also tend not to be located in the places I enjoy skiing the most.