PB! Finally feel like a true water skier. Next run – Severe injury

[gsm_peter]

It is hard to write this post but I will anyway share my experience.

My best day in water skiing made med so happy.

Next run was my worst ever crash in my life.

 

Lets take the positive first.

I started to ski really well second half of the summer.

My 32@15 off finally after 6 seasons became consistent and fairly easy.

Since we have a lot of rollers and I am 63 next season I decided to stay on 32 and shorten using training loops.

19 off was easy. Tried 22 off a few times and this time I run it directly after a few 19 off.

My goal has been to officially shorten the rope. 32@22 off felt like 34@15 off.

Put on 25 off and run 4 boies (felt better compared to any result on 28 off)

 

Was sooooo happy. Felt like a true water skier! Celebrated with my best friend.

 

 

3 day later was my next run.

My 32 was easy. After 4 passes I shortened to 22 off.

Turned around 4 waited and got a really strong angle.

Super acceleration and speed. Right behind the boat I had heavy load in both arms.

Got stuck in my lean or was not stacked or caught a roller or ???

 

Felt way to heavy load when landing after second wake.

I did not let go of the handle, totally crashed.

Upper right arm bone broke and got dislocated.

Right arm nerves was broken, could not control the arm.

Broke one ‘bone’ in my neck. Left arm nerves was also partly damaged.

I am sure that the clinchers 'helped holding on' too much.

I do not use them to improve my grip (prevent blisters). Never had any issues with them before.

 

WARNING.

The clinchers must have had an severe impact on the injuries.

No way I could torn an upper arm bone in two with just a hand grip.

I can see that the rope has damages ('starting to break/fray')

Maybe the crash in the water was hard but I did not felt it that way?

Never the less, the dowels has to come out if I ever gone use clinchers again!

 

Four days in the emergency. 16 weeks of sick leave .

Orthoses on arm and neck 24/7 for 12 weeks.

Some disk problems also.

Now 18 weeks later I am getting better. Everything will be ok.

 

 

Feel free to elaborate what caused the injuries. :'(

 

 

I hope that I want to ski again this summer.

At the moment I am a bit afraid that I will not be brave enough to come back...

 

[2Valve]

Many years ago, I held on when I knew an offside OTF was coming and broke my left foot in the fall. Years before that, another incident and OTF, resulting in a blown ear drum. I was skiing with Nate Smith last summer and he commented that if you're not going for a PB, World Title, etc., you gotta let go.

 

So sorry to hear of you injuries. You'll be back. It's too great a sport to give up.

[lpskier]

Your ten fingers are the first link in your safety release system.

[skialex]

I’m so sorry to hear about your accident and injuries. But accidents do happen and have happened to most of us. My approach for about the past 10 years is trying to avoid bad falls. When I run a pb instead of going hard for the next one or trying hard to repeat it, I try to back it up with technic, or running it again but in a better form and with less mistakes. Maybe in this way my improvement is slower. I’m not the bravest person and don’t care if one day is not a pb day... I will do it the next one. After the first 4 passes if I don’t feel strong enough I stay on the same rope length or even go back one length and try to run it as good as I can.

Do not release that often and haven’t had an otf for the past few years... knock on wood.

I hope you get back on the water soon and enjoy skiing for many many years to come

[LK_skier]

All the best with the recovery - you'll be back - slowly but surely... I tried clinchers and decided the added benefit wasn't worth the risk.... Why did you use the clinchers if it wasn't for added grip etc?

[KRoundy]

Are you going to stop using the clincher gloves? I’ve been using them for years and have never had a problem letting go, but could see it in the scenario you described, getting stuck in a loaded position like that (I think it’s happened to all of us).

Best of luck in your recovery.

[kurtis500]

Bones are just like tempered glass. They are super strong but in certain angles and impact pressures they will break easily.

 

If your not being paid to ski, dont do anything that will cost you

[BraceMaker]

Dowels in your clinchers?

[gsm_peter]

Thanks all.

Yes doctors tells me I will fully recover even if it was a close call to permanent lose right arm functionality.

 

I started using clinchers early to prevent blisters. Works great for that.

Since I grab the handle with a full grip I do not use the benefit from the added grip the dowels provide. So I have not really paid much attention to the dowels.

 

I will maybe use clinchers but NEVER use dowels again.

 

I felt strong and worked mostly on the technique that day.

After plus 100 successful passes at 15 and 19 the step to shorten the rope to 22 did not felt to hard.

 

Anyway It felt great after many years to reach the goal to sort of -shorten the rope...

 

[skierjp]

Your biggest hurdle will be the head factor. I've blown my rotator cuff and another time a ruptured Achilles. Getting the injury out of your head could take a year. This is the time to focus on form and not buoys.

[The_MS]

Heal up, ditch the clinchers and get back on the horse. You will be fine. Your 1 in a million wipe out is done. Won’t happen again

[lpskier]

@BraceMaker Clincher style gloves come with a dowel in the strap at the finger tips. The dowel is parallel with the handle and sort of holds the handle in the glove. Most skiers (that I know) that use clinches take the dowels out before using them, allowing the handle to part company with the gloves with somewhat greater ease.