Gore Mtn, NY: 3/2/12

Ski Day 27: I skied for a week (Gore, Mad River, Cannon, Attitash, Wildcat, Cannon, Gore) and I am beat.



I knew I didn't have much in me yesterday and my plan was to ski Sagamore, Barkeater, and then down to join the Ski Bowl festivities.  I probably should have started at the Bowl, but I arrived in North River late on Thursday night had no food at the cabin - so I started at the Gore Base, to get some breakfast.

I went down Cedars around 8am figuring I would just wait for the lift no matter how long it took. I saw a patrolman at the Cedars rope who said that if I didn't mind waiting for a while down at the BRQ it was cool. When I got down there I was definitely early so I hopped into the trees and hung out for about 20 minutes, figuring I'd wait it out until 8:30 or until the lift started spinning.



At 8:40 I saw another skier come down Cedars so I popped out and got in line.

A young patroller was not happy to see me. He checked my pass and seemed to doubt it's authenticity.  I was respectful but some of the other skiers there were a bit hard on him.



Around 9:00 they loaded us onto the first chair.  



At the top the same patroller told us Sagamore wasn't open and we had to go down Echo.  The skiers getting off the quad were very disappointed.  Mike Pratt got off the lift soon after us and asked the patrolman to let us go. He reluctantly agreed.


Sagamore



I headed down Sagamore and pulled something in my left leg near the bottom.  It hurt, but I REALLY didn't want to ask for patrol's help after I'd made the one patroller so cranky.

I gingerly made my way down Sagamore rode the lift back up and made my way down Echo. I was basically skiing on one leg, doing traverses and trying to link them with one legged turns at each side of the trail.  I could hear the skiers yelping with glee in Cirque, and was very sad to be missing it.



I knew the Echo headwall was going to be tough, but I just took it super slow. I traversed and made my left hand turns on my right leg. My right hand turns were another story.  I couldn't turn on my left leg and I couldn't do a kick turn either. Eventually I figured out that I could do right turns on my inside (good) leg and made it to the bottom of the Echo headwall. It took me more than 30 mins to get to Twister's Little Sister.

It looked like patrol was about to opening TLS when I got there, and I waited about 10 mins for it figuring that the groomed surface and reduced hiking to get back to the base would really help me.

I took Twister down and it took me about an hour to change and get back to my car.  Getting my boot off was especially tough. Oddly some movements are fine (can go down stairs no problem, but walking on the flat is harder).  I was extremely lucky that driving was ok. I got in the car and drove home.

Hope my season isn't done, but if it is, this last week was pretty amazing, getting my ski days to a respectable total for a flatlander with a family. Speaking of family, I'm proud to be part of the Gore family, and I send my apologies to the patroller I upset.  While he may have been a little strict with the rules, he was just trying to do his job.

Will see what the doc says.

Harvey44 wrote

Will see what the doc says.

That's awful. Any idea what it might be?

UGH, not another one...my buddy Pro did the same thing yesterday...hope it's nothing but a sprain that will heal w/ a few days rest.

Vibes Harv -- hope all is well

Wow that sucks Harv. Hope all goes well at the docs, and it's nothing serious. If it is the end of the season for you at least your ended it with a good week. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Heal up soon.

OH Harvey, that totally sux.

EDeO also limped off the trail on Friday...but he was back today, all doped up. I don't know how his knee held up. He said he heard it pop. I don't know how he managed with that. No one wants to be benched for the weekend or the season...especially when it's just getting really good.

Sending healing thoughts your way, and to EDeO too!

Hope to see you out there next weekend.

I saw the doc yesterday.  Basically I was assuming that I'd need a GP to refer me to a specialist because of the insurance. But she never referred me.

My doc is kind of a special lady. She lives down here in the flatlands and by coincidence is a Gore skier.  She's young (compared to me anyway) and vibrant and it was a complete surprise when she had a stroke while skiing at Gore.  She's worked very hard to get back to work, and can really still do the job if you have a little patience with her - she needs some time to put sentences together.  She's still very smart, but her vocabulary abandons her at times.

I described what happened to the best of my ability. I don't fully understand it. I was skiing down Sagamore and somehow the inside edge of my left ski got hung up.  (Operator error I am sure).  I did go down but it was very slow. If anyone had seen it I don't think they would imagine I was hurt. I got right up but couldn't put any weight on it. As long as I didn't weight it, it really didn't hurt.

She pushed on it and poked it and basically said that in a few days I was going to have a huge bruise. She couldn't (or wouldn't) answer the question about whether I am done for the season. She said, "you'll know if you will ski again."

It's wierd because I can climb and descend stairs but walking on the flat isn't easy. Some things hurt like hell, other things are completely normal.

My plan is to go to Plattekill on 3/17 for the big party/bump contest (<details to follow) and if I'm not in pain, to try skiing Powder Puff.  

Amazing what we take for granted.  I haven't ever felt so alone and so sad as when I took the pic above of the Echo entrance to the Cirque glade.  I was listening to skiers yelping with joy getting tracks in the trees below me. It was almost too much to bear.  I got a txt from PDQ/Shaman at 10:30 from Hudson Chair, inquiring as to my whereabouts - I was on Echo trying to get down, in a pretty emotional state, and just couldn't bring myself to respond.  It took me nearly 40 mins to get down Echo.

I felt stupid and greedy. I'd skied for a week straight, and just had to squeeze in one more day.  I'm sure if I wasn't so tired from all the skiing, I'd never have hurt myself.  I also felt extremely bad that I'd gotten on the wrong side of patrol and now my own pig headishness forced me to solve my problems on my own. I just couldn't face the possibility that the kid who'd gotten pissed at me might be involved in my ride in the sled.

Sorry if this is overly dramatic. I'm determined that something good come out of this.

Wow, Harv that does not sound good. Fatigue likely was a big factor. I was amazed at your superhuman powers this week.

Is this a knee issue or somewhere else on your leg? I hope you are doing RICE (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) therapy. Single malt is good too.

If it is a knee thing, don't mess around. No disrespect to your GP but get an MRI, or at least see a good ortho for your own peace of mind. Ligament damage won't show up on an x-ray. I tore my ACL & MCL on the easiest of green runs, just zigged when I should have zagged. Did the one ski thing back to lodge and drove myself to to the hospital, with a clutch. It only hurt when I did lateral movements.

Worst case, if it is a torn ACL, you can get surgery now and be skiing next season (carefully). If it is something less drastic, like a pulled hamstring, you should sign up for physiotherapy to help the healing process. And did I mention the single malt?

Take care of yourself!

sbr

I wouldn't head right for the MRI machine!  If your doc is a good doc and did an exam of the knee, ranging it, pulling it forward well it is  bent and you are reclined with your foot on the table, pushing it backwards in the same position, that would help diagnosis an anterior or posterior cruciate tear.  Give it a week and see how you do and if not improving, check back in with your doc.  It sounds like you have faith in her and she wouldn't steer you wrong.  

I'll echo SBR in that a primary care physician might not have the same level of expertise that an Ortho will. I've never needed a referral to see an Ortho. Last couple of times I thought I had potential ligament or bone damage, I went straight to the Ortho. Like that issue I had last year at Whiteface... the doc knew whether an MRI would be needed or not. In my case, I just got some PT to help things heal. Wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from an expert.

I'm not convinced my GP is an expert at this stuff - I'm fairly sure she isn't. But to clarify (or actually to say something I haven't made clear) my knee (or any joint) isn't involved. My joints are fine and fully functional. About halfway between my knee and hip the muscle is sore and swollen.  I can't straighten my leg fully - it feels like the muscle is too short or very tight. Normally if I felt this way - I'd STRETCH it, but I'm assuming that is a no-no at this time.  She said give it4-5 days before trying to stretch it and only if it felt good.  The doc was convinced that an Xray would show nothing and an MRI wasn't called for.

Would an MRI show a muscle tear?

I thought I would see what rest would do, and each morning it has felt better. I've gotten 10 hours of sleep the last two nights vs the 5+ I was averaging during NSBS.  Still no sign of the predicted monster bruise.

River - if you are a bit confused about how all this jives with our last phone conversation, I'm pretty sure there was some serious denial going on Friday afternoon.

One thing I didn't say in my last post -  genuine thanks to all for the concern and wishes, both in this thread and via PM.

An MRI would show muscle tear or soft tissue injury quite well.  That's where MRI shines.  Is it the front of the thigh(quads) or the back(hamstrings)?  With her prediction that you would have a "big bruise", I'm guessing she thought you had a muscle tear.

Harv,

Go see a physical therapist...or ask your doc for a script for PT. Most will do that without issue. A good PT will be able to tell you what it is and how to bring it back to a better place. GPs don't do much for injuries...take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.

gebbyfish wrote

An MRI would show muscle tear or soft tissue injury quite well.  That's where MRI shines.  Is it the front of the thigh(quads) or the back(hamstrings)?  With her prediction that you would have a "big bruise", I'm guessing she thought you had a muscle tear.

It's on the back.  What doc does the MRI? Pretty sure I need a referral.

She did say it sounded like a tear. I'm interested in the MRI just to hear .... "WHOA it's way bad", or maybe "it's minor."

Be well.

Harvey said,


It's on the back.  What doc does the MRI? Pretty sure I need a referral.

She did say it sounded like a tear. I'm interested in the MRI just to hear .... "WHOA it's way bad", or maybe "it's minor."


Your regular doctor can order the MRI, or PT for that matter.  I would recommend waiting on the MRI.  No sense knowing a specific tear, etc.., if the recommended treatment would be PT anyway.  If you don't get better from PT, you can proceed down the road of an MRI and referral to an orthopedic surgeon.  

feel better..
Harv, you ain't 25 anymore..you need to take it easy bro..

Very sorry to hear about your injury.  We're praying for your quick recovery.

I must say that this is a bit of a wake-up call for me.  I had the good fortune to hit the slopes 8 of the last 10 days but my last two (Friday & Sunday) I could tell that my body was beat and my concentration was off.  I'm guessing that at that point I was a prime candidate to have a similar thing happen but fortunately I didn't.  Years ago I used to always push for that last run even though I was exhausted and I paid the price with many aches and pains.  As much as I love piling on the days and runs I'm thinking that taking a day or two off and being well rested on the slopes is a good idea.  That said, I'm probably going to try and sneak a few runs in today and tomorrow while I can due to the ugly long term weather forecast that we have.

Again, feel better and I hope we get to see you out there soon!!

Bummer, man. Heal up quick!

Any discoloration or "bruising" around you ankle?  Muscle tears won't necessarily bruise at the injury site.  If there is a tear that resulted in any bleeding, blood in a leg will drain down.  When I tore my calf muscle, my calf never bruised, but boy was my ankle all sorts of interesting shades of purple.  Does sound like a tear to me, but I'm not a doctor, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night.  My torn calf felt all sorts of wierd.  Strange tightness, muscle felt and looked shorter than the other calf.  Rest up, and don't push it.  If its a partial tear you don't want to get out too soon and risk a worse tear.  Hope you are better soon.....my gastroc tear sidelined me from any athletic endevours for about 6 weeks, although normal walking and activity was bearable after a week, and I was still able to be on the soccer field to coach the kids.