Injury Update (if you guys are curious)

Whether or not you're injury prone, pushing to hard or a hypochondriac is for you to decide.

If you're going out and getting yourself hurt to the point that you think you're tearing ligaments and breaking your leg 1/2 the time you're skiing, personally I think you need to slow down. I consider myself a "dedicated" skier and have only been hurt to the point I couldn't ski the next day a handful of times in 16 or 17 years. What is right and good for me may not be for you, but something for you to consider.

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Originally Posted by crashnburn'd

Whether or not you're injury prone, pushing to hard or a hypochondriac is for you to decide.

If you're going out and getting yourself hurt to the point that you think you're tearing ligaments and breaking your leg 1/2 the time you're skiing, personally I think you need to slow down. I consider myself a "dedicated" skier and have only been hurt to the point I couldn't ski the next day a handful of times in 16 or 17 years. What is right and good for me may not be for you, but something for you to consider.

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yeah....my legs basically hurt all the time UNLESS I am skiing....sometimes I can barely walk, but its part of the territory...you ski hard, you hurt hard...thats what beer is for

A PSA just for you Max

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Originally Posted by Below Zero

Oh Max.....I'm sorry man. Where did you beater?

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West wall right before the Nose. There was kind of a rollover and some weird changing fall-line. Rock jumped out, and I had to make a weird turn to avoid it. Landed on the uphill side of the next bump and went over the handlebars. Tomohawked and caught the inside edge of my uphill (right) ski, twisting my leg and jamming my bootcuff against my tib-fib. Landed on my head in the process :eek:.

But I guess I just have to get used to the fact that pain goes with skiing. Growing up, I've been used to stuff that's less conducive to injuries (i.e. golf and basketball in my earlier years). Perhaps I should learn the meaning of the phrase "suck it up," cuz growing up I've been used to fixing problems instead of just dealing with them (comes from dad being a doc.)

And going a LITTLE slower would probably help. Because I AM much less skilled and confident than the guys I was skiing with on Sunday (and on Dec. 17). Might have to be a pain in the ass and ask whoever I'm with to wait on me for the sake of safety (Got suckered into skiing much harder than I wanted to/should have this weekend). Better than breaking stuff all the time, though.

Anyway, I'm just glad I'm not really hurt. I would be PISSED. So, no more bitching. Just relief. :)

Edit: thanks LB.

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Originally Posted by Max Gosey

West wall right before the Nose. There was kind of a rollover and some weird changing fall-line. Rock jumped out, and I had to make a weird turn to avoid it. Landed on the uphill side of the next bump and went over the handlebars. Tomohawked and caught the inside edge of my uphill (right) ski, twisting my leg and jamming my bootcuff against my tib-fib. Landed on my head in the process :eek:.

But I guess I just have to get used to the fact that pain goes with skiing. Growing up, I've been used to stuff that's less conducive to injuries (i.e. golf and basketball in my earlier years). Perhaps I should learn the meaning of the phrase "suck it up," cuz growing up I've been used to fixing problems instead of just dealing with them (comes from dad being a doc.)

Anyway, I'm just glad I'm not really hurt. I would be PISSED. So, no more bitching. Just relief. :)

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thats the attitude man.....if you dont tomahawk at least once a season you arent gonna get any better....then again, you really didnt have a season and got uber beatered once this year....thats enough for 5 seasons, let alone 20some days of skiing

and I mean you are coming off a serious injury dude....take it easy until next year

I think hanging with phish may be detrimental to your health. You have to understand that you broke your neck a few months back and maybe tomahawking is not in your best interests right now. Pressure and stepping up your game is good but doing it on your first day back is not a good move. You don't jump to where you were after a layoff let alone pushing yourself further. Resist peer pressure or at least learn who pushes you because they know your limit/possibilities and who pushes you because they don't want to be the only ones doing it.

Max, I think you may be pushing yourself a little beyond your ability. Maybe trying to tell other maggots, "Yeah I can hang". It's good to ski with other skiers that are better than you because they'll push you, but you need to know your limits.

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Originally Posted by weibo

I think hanging with phish may be detrimental to your health. You have to understand that you broke your neck a few months back and maybe tomahawking is not in your best interests right now. Pressure and stepping up your game is good but doing it on your first day back is not a good move. You don't jump to where you were after a layoff let alone pushing yourself further. Resist peer pressure or at least learn who pushes you because they know your limit/possibilities and who pushes you because they don't want to be the only ones doing it.

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yeah, you really shouldn't listen to me ever about anything, im kinda "special" if you know what I mean...

Sometimes the best thing for skiing that you can do is to stop skiing.

Ultimately this comes down to you knowing what your body can do and what your limits are. Pushing yourself beyond the limits of safety can result in disaster, as I'm sure you're aware. If I'm not feeling it that day, or I'm tired, or whatever, I'm not going to try and charge. For me, confidence is so important that if I feel like I'm not able to something, I can't do it.

The hardest thing is skiing with people that feel good that day and want to send it. you gotta have the self-confidence to say no, and not feel like a pussy afterwards. Pushing it when you're not ready leads to stuff like beatering off hucks you could have stuck otherwise.

eh. Max wasn't out of his ability last weekend. Kid can get down the hill, and he didn't push it at all. Just unfortunate. Shit, he followed us down pali, and in those conditions it was above MY ability.:nonono2: :D

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Originally Posted by Z

eh. Max wasn't out of his ability last weekend. Kid can get down the hill, and he didn't push it at all. Just unfortunate. Shit, he followed us down pali, and in those conditions it was above MY ability.:nonono2: :D

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Yeah Z, we know Max can ski but judging by the speed he says he was going, maybe it wasn't the right thing to do. I mean he says he may have been going too fast. Hell, I really don't know becasue I wasn't there. Yeah, we've all beatered hard, but as most have said here, on his first and second days back, maybe it would of been best to slow it down a little. Anyways, Max, I hope you heal up and I hope this doesn't hurt your confidence. You'll be back next season ripping it up.

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Originally Posted by Below Zero

Maybe trying to tell other maggots, "Yeah I can hang". It's good to ski with other skiers that are better than you because they'll push you, but you need to know your limits.

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Max, BZ is correct here. I know my limits and when I go down to Alta, I ski with very few of the crew. I can't hang on skis. I know this. Doing otherwise may get me hurt. I can't even hang on some stuff on my board at other resorts, and that is ok with me.

Yes, we do push each other and that is why there are top notch skiers and riders around here.

Just don't be afraid to say, yeah, I'll meet ya down there. Being called a puss is much less painful than a broken neck or leg.


Dude, be careful.

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Originally Posted by Buzzworthy

Max, BZ is correct here. I know my limits and when I go down to Alta, I ski with very few of the crew. I can't hang on skis. I know this. Doing otherwise may get me hurt. I can't even hang on some stuff on my board at other resorts, and that is ok with me.

Yes, we do push each other and that is why there are top notch skiers and riders around here.

Just don't be afraid to say, yeah, I'll meet ya down there. Being called a puss is much less painful than a broken neck or leg.


Dude, be careful.

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Yeah, just do what I do when I puss out....blame it on my gear :biggrin:

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Originally Posted by Z

eh. Max wasn't out of his ability last weekend. Kid can get down the hill, and he didn't push it at all. Just unfortunate. Shit, he followed us down pali, and in those conditions it was above MY ability.:nonono2: :D

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Just a guess, based on my own physiology:

You skied with max the first day. (Where were you sunday? puss. :biggrin: ) The first day back on skis after a long hiatus, I can hang. The second day MEGA-soreness sets in, and, especially if I go hard the first day after a long break, I am a disaster on the hill. Especially in the bumps. My guess is that this is Max's problem...being tired/sore in bumps keeps me from attacking them, since I react too late, and by then I'm kicked into the backseat and out of control. Generally this ends in a beater.

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Originally Posted by MOHSHSIHd

Yeah, just do what I do when I puss out....go get a beer :biggrin:

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Fixed it for ya.

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Originally Posted by Squatch

Just a guess, based on my own physiology:

You skied with max the first day. (Where were you sunday? puss. :biggrin: ) The first day back on skis after a long hiatus, I can hang. The second day MEGA-soreness sets in, and, especially if I go hard the first day after a long break, I am a disaster on the hill. Especially in the bumps. My guess is that this is Max's problem...being tired/sore in bumps keeps me from attacking them, since I react too late, and by then I'm kicked into the backseat and out of control. Generally this ends in a beater.

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Sure. You just need to ski more too:p . Your body fully gets used to the beating when you ski more than 2-3times a week. I remember when I lived in Vail I just sent shit all day whenever there was pow. Haulin of Northwoods cliffs nonstop, just to go back and do the same shit the next day. You definitely feel the soreness when you don't ski as much.....

I thought I was skiing the line ok, it's just that I'm probably not to the ability level that I can adapt like g4n did right in front of me (wasn't that sore, squatch, but good thinking). He had the same problem: saw the rock, mini-hucked away from it, and continued skiing his line. I got thrown off by the fact that there was a rock where I didn't expect there to be one and couldn't really recover.

I did the exact same thing over in Land of the Giants on the line you saw me skiing in my TR first time I skied it: 'HOLY SHIT! THERE'S A FUCKING ROCK, BETTER STRAIGHTLINE!' And since the snow was smooth, I got away with it.

Just gotta ski slower when there's a possibility of something jumping out at me, i.e. rollovers, weird fall-lines, changing pitches, shitty light, etc.

Definitely made a bad choice trying hard to keep up with whoever I was skiing with (now that I think about it, I kinda felt like I had something to prove to everybody I was with--that I can ski--, but it wasn't worth it) instead of taking it at a pace appropriate for me, and appropriate for me just getting back on skis with a broken neck.

Funny thing is that some female friends I have blame it on me for getting hurt... I'll take some responsibility but not all. :thumbsdown:

I LOVED getting scared in Vail with Telekop, Telehoar, and Summit on 15ish-ft huck into pow they were sending. I was skiing well that day and I had skied with them all day before that, so they knew what i was capable of. They were confident I could do it, and I was confident they wouldn't chuck me off of anything I couldn't handle (and I still feel that way about Summit, which is why I love to ski with him... when he's sober anyway :D). I'd like to ski with a few more of you in different conditions in order for some of you to get a feel for how I ski before I push myself too much (if I'm gonna ski with you a lot... if not, this isn't a concern, but I do hope that the maggots are my main ski partners for my time in CO).

So a lot of it was my mistake: just pushing too hard, forgetting I had a damn broken neck (which really shouldn't have much to do with my leg except for my fitness level, which wasn't all that bad).

This has kinda been talked to death, and I appreciate your input to help me think about this stuff. Knowing how hard to push is much more critical than I had originally thought.

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Originally Posted by Max Gosey

Might have to be a pain in the ass and ask whoever I'm with to wait on me for the sake of safety (Got suckered into skiing much harder than I wanted to/should have this weekend).

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You didn't get suckered into anything. Nobody ever pressured you into anything-- I even recall saying at some point "Max, didn't you say nothing but groomers?" Everyone knows your situation and nobody minded going a different way with you. If it looks above your ability, you're not going to be made fun of if you want to go a different way.

Be a dick!

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Originally Posted by Z

eh. Max wasn't out of his ability last weekend. Kid can get down the hill, and he didn't push it at all. Just unfortunate. Shit, he followed us down pali, and in those conditions it was above MY ability.:nonono2: :D

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Gawd, me three.

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Originally Posted by Max Gosey

RIGHT TIB/FIB SERIES: There is a mild periosteal reaction seen associated with the mid to distal shaft of the right fibula along the lateral margin. No fracture lines are seen. The knee joint visualized is normal. The ankle joint is not included on the film. Soft tissues are unremarkable.

IMPRESSION: Mild periosteal thickening seen along the lateral margin of the mid to distal fibula. This could represent reactive changes to previous trauma [probably has]; however, there is no underlying cortical thickening to suggest stress fracture response. Clinical correlation is recommended with respect to location of pain. No additonal abnormalities.

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This makes my eyes hurt.

Max, skiing is a progression and I don't really see too many shortcuts. Not for me anyway. I figure you just gotta ski and ski and mix it up and push yourself and ease off and see how your progress is inevitable.

Every step of the journey should be fun. Either that or you're skiing moguls. ;) :D

something i neglected to mention: when I am in better shape I deal with falls, crashes, and impacts better. when I am out of shape, that's when crashes result in more serious injury. so keep up the lifting and stuff, max, and i guarantee you'll be ready to send it come winter.

For what little it's worth, my take:

- Progression comes from a mix of reps (leading to confidence, comfort, and conditioning) and pushing the envelope (leading to growth)

- These require staying healthy. Fear, Discomfort, even Pain may be part of the game, but Injury is not.

- Staying healthy doesn't mean not pushing, it means knowing when to go for it and when not to (although of course it's really a spectrum of GoingForItNess).

Max, you hit on it right there at the end.

In the final analysis, the "real" key to progression is knowing when to dial it back and knowing how much to do so, in order to be able to continue to push again and again.

Even the pros - no wait, *especially* the pros - back off. That's what keeps them around for long enough to be pros. Great skiers who get hurt don't stay great, and don't stay pro/gressing.

Best of luck "discovering" your Whens and HowMuches - it's a bit different for all of us, and of course, it's a process of trial and error. The trick and hope is that the errors aren't so big so as to stop the discovery process. You dodged one with the neck thing, perhaps try to come at the balance point from the under-shoot-the-"landing" side for a bit now? Take it a bit easier, and come at it from underneath?

See you out there!

Thanks, Yoss.

LS, just to be clear, it was not the fault of the maggots at ALL. It was just a "hey want to go ski this? no pressure, max". And it was ME who said "eh... yeah sure". That way MY error and no one else's. So don't think I'm putting any blame on any of you guys. All on me.

Yeah, squatch, I'm looking forward to getting in great shape. From what I've read on here, people in great shape don't break legs when they land badly off 50 ft'ers, but those in not-so-great shape do. That's part of my inspiration.

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Originally Posted by Yossarian

Even the pros - no wait, *especially* the pros - back off. That's what keeps them around for long enough to be pros. Great skiers who get hurt don't stay great, and don't stay pro/gressing.

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Too true. If you consider some of the big mountain arenas (e.g., Valdez), the biggest danger the operations have is people (male egos) not being willing to back off.

Thinking things like "I'm not feeling this today, but my buddy who I usually keep up with wants to ski this" and "I don't want to seem like a pu$$y in front of the group by saying 'No' to this line" causes people to make irrational decisions and puts them in position to die (in the extreme case).

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Originally Posted by Max Gosey

Yeah, squatch, I'm looking forward to getting in great shape. From what I've read on here, people in great shape don't break legs when they land badly off 50 ft'ers, but those in not-so-great shape do. That's part of my inspiration.

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Well....you picked an example that requires alot of technical skill, knowledge of take-offs, landings, etc....

But, yeah....give yourself time to heal from your previous injuries, then work hard to be in the best shape of your life (think: core), and the improvements will be evident in all areas of your skiing (and probably life...even your mental state).

You dodged a bit of a bullet here and got away with just a scare. Be thankful and know that you can make 06-07 an amazing season.