Bad injury in the coures

[danielarice]

I'm having trouble with the the thought of getting back in the course next year. I love skiing, love my ski group but can't risk being in a wheelchair again.

This year I was skiing at my best (28 off @ 34 mph) making 4 and 5 balls. I'm skiing on a Prophecy with stealth bindings set to release with a wack of a hand. My ski buddies have commented on my body position and line management being much improved.

I came around 3 ball seemingly comfortable and in balance then wham, I felt pounded from the bottom of the ski. This happened closer to 3 ball returning to the wake. Long story short, I broke my heel in my left foot (rear) and both the tibia and fibula in the right. The spotter said I went over the front but I think that happened as a result of the accident. All of us have gone over the mechanism of injury and have no idea what happened. Heel fractures are common to falls where you land on your feet. The Doctor says the tib/fib is a twisting motion. I'm 54 years old and never broke a bone in my life.

With out knowing how this occurred and having what I assume is good equipment, how do I get back in the course with any confidence?

 

[Than_Bogan]

Do I understand correctly that you were not near the ball when this happened and that you believe the injury occurred before you actually fell?

 

If so, it seems like the only plausible explanation is hitting something very hard in the water?

 

That's very rare (full disclosure: I just did it at a tournament recently) and usually does not result in injury (I didn't even fall). So probability is on your side.

 

But if you're expecting to reach a state where you are certain that you can never be hurt again, then I'm afraid your career is done. Waterskiing is a LOT safer than many other fun activities, but nothing can make it 100% safe.

[danielarice]

Thanks Than,

The accident happened right after the turn. The pounding and fall happened simultaneous. We thought about hitting something but no evidence on the ski. Just looking for something to get my head right.

[Zoro957]

Do your PT and slowly build your confidence back. I broke an ankle, ankle and foot 3 years in a row. Not from hard falls either. One wasn't skiing related. Turns out I had ostiopina, early stages of osteoporosis. A year on the proper meds and all is well. I was also in my early 50's when the first broken ankle happened. 57 now and still skiing. If you love it, keep at it.

[danielarice]

Thanks Zoro957,

Free skiing for sure.

[gregy]

If it were me I'd be tentative about going back. I'd say hit the gym, get in as good of condition as possible and start out with something easy maybe 32mph.

 

The twisting injury is interesting with Stealth boots because the feet stay together. And injuries on both legs. Did the boots/plate release? Any damage to the boot assembly?

[crashman]

I'm only one ankle injury away from being a surfer and have discovered the love of volume sets. It probably keeps me from progressing as quickly as I could but last week I made 28 passes without a miss. I hate otf but I love #6.

[aupatking]

I feel for you. Truly. I know what caused mine, and what failed to function causing my break last year.

The hit to the bottom is something I felt this last weekend when my handle broke inbound. That seemed to be a violent overturn/tip stuff into the first wake. Doesn't sound like you did anything like that though. Hopefully some time and reflection will reveal the cause.

[wtrskior]

I wouldn't worry about it. dose up on calcium and whatever else promotes bone growth and rehab like mad!

 

you aren't likely to ever break them again, and its beyond a freak accident.

 

 

[mwetskier]

without being there and witnessing it first hand your reported sensations and the lack of any damage to the ski seems to eliminate hitting a submerged object. that makes me suspect your ski skipped off of an air filled 3 ball and the sudden pounding impact you felt was when your ski reconnected with the water. not saying this was what happened but a lot of people have done exactly that and ended up with similar injuries as a result.

[lpskier]

Turtle.

[EFW]

years ago when 1st trying my fogmans I happened to look at my ski and saw that my entire plate had released. The plate was about 20 degrees off center front and rear from the releases. Simply let go of the rope. Could have been painful. Difficult to say what happened to you. When I say I am sorry to you I mean it. Broke 4 left ( LFF ) ankles skiing and 1 right ankle going through my VW windshield.

No one wants to hear it but there is life after skiing.

( I saw these classes on TV for ballroom dancing with Fred Astaire and Kenny Rogers for taking up guitar playing.)

[Than_Bogan]

Depending on the details of the impact, you can hit something pretty hard and unforgiving and have no ski damage at all. I don't know if that's what happened, but I still regard it as most likely, based on what you've shared so far.

 

As others have said, start slow and build back up. But I think if you still have the fire (and I'm guessing you do or you wouldn't have posted here), that once those little buoys are in your sights you'll get after it!

[danielarice]

Thanks for all the helpful comments on this post. The thing that worries me the most is giving up the thrill I know all of us get achieving our best in the course and the friendship of the fellow skiers out there who know what I mean. Starting back slow and long gets me back out there with my buds and that's good enough. If I do get back on the course next year, I'm telling my wife and family "I'm free skiing" because the're ready to do an intervention if they find out.

Thanks again

Dan

 

[Than_Bogan]

Hot-button triggered!! :)

 

I am borderline enraged by all the people who think it's a good idea to stop fun in the interest of some (usually uninformed) notion of safety.

 

The reason this personally offends me is that I am an extremely safety conscious person. In other threads, I have rattled off the litany of safety-enhancing behaviors that I follow religiously. It drives me nuts when people accept risks for no reason.

 

But decision-making is about risks AND REWARDS. People who ignore this tradeoff and focus only on risk are doomed to do nothing rewarding (or impressive). Waterskiing is just not THAT dangerous and it is enormously rewarding, both physically and mentally. This is exactly the sort of tradeoff that epitomizes good decision-making.

 

By all means, when there is a way to enhance safety without giving up much of anything, DO IT. A bar in your handle V is a great example. Wearing your seatbelt at all times is an even more obvious one.

 

But don't let anybody suck you into the trap of only measuring risk. A small risk for no reward is DUMB. A small risk for a huge reward is a very good decision.

[EFW]

And once again while while having my back to the wall the issue----Binding Releasability !!!!!

Dan just so you know I have the Stealths also - they suck. Read through your initial post. Now reread sentence #2. Reread about 20 times. No matter what you do or say it is a crapshoot. But because I am probably borderline OCD I keep coming back. Is it worth it? I don't know. Is it?

[spicoli]

Me and my ski bud have both broke legs ,mine under the knee both upper and lower leg bones came together and then hyper extended. I was 54 back in the course in 9 months .my buddy broke left below the knee in a spiral and snapped above ankle 2 brakes.he has plate and screws he's 56 and back running 35 ,1 yr later so hang in there .o yea I broke a wrist after that flipping my samurai and back in the course 4mths. O yea did I met in 8 dislocated shoulders tricking and slalom stuck my arm in around 2 ball weak arm from dirt bike crash.im still in radars but he went to ob4

 

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

@EFW I have concerns about the Stealths for sure -- I think they offer very little protection against front ankle breaks and front Achilles tears because the rear can hold down the plate while bad things are happening to the front. (That said, they are excellent in certain other types of crashes.)

 

But I can't see any aspect of Dan's situation where the Stealths were part of the problem. Did you mean to imply a connection there, or just generally concerned about the Stealths release?

 

I apologize if I seem to be harping on this topic, but I am in a mode right now where I really want to learn about and analyze bindings.

[skidawg]

Speaking from personal experience (on numerous occasions)---

1. Rehab-get light strong and flexible, take your time.

2. Safest binding system possible (not the stealth), get something that will release dependably.

3. Start skiing again at a level you are comfortable and slowly build back your on the water strength and confidence.

4. Life is best lived, there are no guarantees. For me not skiing again isn't an option so the risk is small compared to the reward.

[rawly]

Put into perspective , the most dangerous part of skiing is the drive to and from to the lake. I'm not sure about where you live , but in the crowded state of California , slalom courses are safer than free skiing ( one boat in the area at a time ). Good luck with getting the thought of injury out of your head. I know that can be tough. When you ski tentatively , instincts take the back seat.

[EFW]

@Than_Bogan . I knew I should have clarified that statement. The release units are fine. I think they are the finest out there. 3 parts. How much simpler can it get than 3 parts? The boots blow. Just like those stupid ass boots they just came out with. C'mon Krista's practically in her underwear or less for marketing purposes. You can look at everyones binding designs that release and everyone is still searching for the next evolutionary step forward. It sure the hell aint that boot they just came out with. Everyone wants a solid release and this is what they bring to the table. I guess in lieu of what I just said the Stealth's are better. I must be going crazy.

[The_Krista]

@efw actually that was a photo for the Radar Feather Frames from 2011...not relevant to the new Connelly bindings at all. Someone dug it up and posted it in the other thread... And IF you must go there...that was a water ski bathing suit..one I often skied into 38 in...and actually has much more fabric than my underwear. But thanks for bringing it up. Have a great day!

[HPskier1]

I had about the exact same injury 5 years ago in August except crushed both heals in Connelly drafts plus the broken tib and fib. I spent 3 months In a wheelchair and 3 more on crutches. I skied in May the next year. Do your rehab, take it slow then when you feeling like you can walk again take a video of you sking and your boots and show your therapist how you ski and that your not combo sking. Most of the them don't get it until they see it. Five years later I'm sking and running 5ks without to many issues....just plan on having stiff ankles in the morning. My wife says I look pretty old shuffling around in the morning until my ankles loosen up. Good luck if you have question PM me.

[EFW]

@The_Krista

Hope you guys are enjoying your honeymoon. Congratulations!

[danielarice]

@ HPskier1

Ouch! do you know what took place that resulted in two broken heels. I'm still trying to figure out if my ski skipped or I hit something.

[Greg Lukin]

I've just recently come back from injury - 2 years almost now. I'm just getting my confidence back now. I broke 5 foot bones and pretty much stuffed a joint that will give me pain on and off for god knows how long - maybe for my life. I love skiing - I love social free skiing and slalom skiing. For me the biggest hurdle was if it happend again was being able to run around with my kids and being able to be active daily (I dont have the luxury of being able to ski daily).

So I almost gave up the slalom side of it. The only reason I'm still doing it is because I bought myself some releasable bindings - ob4's. So far they have given me the confidence to start pushing myself without fear of doing it again. (It took a long time and plenty of free skiing to get to this)

 

Lessons I learnt - dont get down about it - get working on fixing your body and making yourself light and strong (wish I did this earlier). Also get some gear that you have 100% confidence in. And finally don't put yourself under any pressure to get back to where you were pre injury - it will come - eventually (1.5 seasons for me).

 

good luck!! and dont stop what you love

[Waternut]

Sorry to hear that. Just my lowly opinion here... My thought is you either caught a roller, took a slack hit you didn't think was there, or the ski skipped and caused you to load up hard and then go out the front. Unless you've been diagnosed with some kind of bone disorder, I have a strong suspicion that the OTF fall initiated the injury and not the other way around since we have a tendency to think we're in a better body position than we really are most of the time.

 

I'm not really that biased towards bindings. I have what works for me and others have what works for them. It could just be coincidence but it seems like all the stories I read about bad OTF falls on the stealth or fogman bindings, end in some hospitalization, and extensive rehab. Some guys love those bindings and refuse to give them up but quite a few have modified them to make them safer while others have gone to great lengths. I've never used those bindings but I will say that some of the worst falls I've taken were on double hardshells that were fixed together. In theory, it's the safest but in reality, both feet aren't trying to release the same way and one is likely preventing the other from releasing.

 

There is no perfectly safe binding but in general, people have the most success with old school rubber bindings, Reflex, and OB4 bindings. Any mechanical release is subject to poor adjustment though.

[HPskier1]

@danielarice my Drafts were set pretty tight, thinking that would support my ankles better and they were probably a size to small. Right at the turn my whole ski skipped out of the water and the nose just dug in pushing the ski toward my head and my heels got jammed in my boots and breaking the bones Force must have been huge. Good luck!!

[Andre]

Not familiar with Stealths.How do they release?

 

OTF happens real fast sometimes.My guess is that you suddenly broke forward while the ski was pointing back to the wake and you body toward 5 ball.

Good luck and do your PT !

[danielarice]

@ Andre

Stealth bindings are Connelly's version of Fogmans. Basically it's a front and rear boot on a plate held on the ski with two pins. The idea is that your feet stay together and release from the ski in a crash. All the force in my accident came from the bottom up so I'm not sure any binding would have had a better result.

Thanks again for all those who responded to this post and I'm all ears with binding suggestions for next season. One requirement I'm sure I'll want is some shock absorbent padding under my feet.

Dan.

[Than_Bogan]

@danielarice The OB4 system has some shock absorption underfoot because of the rubber pad. But frankly I think that's one of the worst aspects of the OB4 system (which most here know I believe is the overall safest commercial system if set up correctly).

[LeonL]

Just lucky maybe, but I skied on Fogmans for 5-6 years and every fall that was in the least bit hard they released without a hitch.

[Waternut]

When you're in double bindings tied to the same release mechanism, one foot is pulling up and the other is pushing down. Especially in an OTF fall, the ski is pushing into your back foot keeping the mechanism from releasing. When I was on the old HO EXO bindings where both bindings were tied to a stiff metal bar, the only time the bindings released (even after lowering the spring tension A LOT) was when I was on my side and the ski was dragging in the water. Loads of crushing OTF falls during that time since I was still learning and not once did the bindings release like they were supposed to. Thankfully, I was still going 28-30 mph so no serious injuries but I've still got a few nagging problems that sneak back up from those days.

[danielarice]

Hmm, I started out this season on my new set up (Connelly Prophecy with stealth bindings) and fully recovered from winter shoulder surgery. I had my fair share of falls but none were over the front mostly due to cautious skiing. Not saying OTF didn't happen but the boat mantra this year was "just let go" if things didn't feel right. We are all in our fifties after all. I'm sill wondering how my heel was crushed by going OTF. My thought is that I did hit a roller or something that made my ski skip and therefor a crushing injury followed by a collapse which resulted in the long bone breaks.

There was a vote for Fogmans from LionL and Than suggest OB4's. I know that Fogmans are almost exactly like what I have and the OB4's appear to be kinda close ( correct me if that's wrong). My conclusion so far is put some padding in the Stealths and hope it doesn't happen again. Another guy I ski with followed Freddie Kruger's suggestion of some type of compression sole in his binding. He suggested it to me earlier this season. I wished I had listened.

I'm certainly listening now so please keep the suggestions and comments. Hopefully out of this wheelchair and moving on to crutches next week!

[Than_Bogan]

OB4 is not similar to stealths. OB4 can release each boot in any rotation direction. This is critically different in certain OTFs where a single plate system can have one foot hold down the plate while the other Achilles tears.

[danielarice]

I stand corrected, I'll be checking into the OB4.

Thank you.

[cragginshred]

I made first -28 in Jan his year then repeated several times into early summer. I can say it is way more intense than -22,...and I was way more likely to get injured with my sub-optimal form at that line length. Because I play in a band and rock climb up to 5.12 plus (and want to continue those activities un injured) I opted to stay at -22 and -25 the rest of the summer (apart from the 2 months our Cali lake was without water).

People who know nothing about rock climbing think I'm nuts but I feel feel much more vulnerable to injury skiing. Once you do your rehab you will know what to do!