December 16 Skier down…

Fresh snow coated the morning with a blanket of white that embraced the slopes of our mountain home. Anxious and excited we put on our gear and rushed out the door in time for the first chairlifts of the day.

It was another day living the dream; little did I know it would end in a personal nightmare.

Steep powder turns greeted me as I bounced in the fresh snow through the trees off the Powder Chair. Deep snow caressed my boots and invited me into deep chutes that lined the trees above the run called Surprise. Brad, my snowboarding buddy, took one line and I cruised down another. A skier stood above me and looked down into the steep terrain. I cranked a turn to the right and blasted through the steep chute and carved left; right into the rock sticking up the wrong direction.

I knew right away it was bad. Pain screamed through my knee and I howled into the crisp mountain air.

I lay beside the rock that stopped my path, pain streaming into my senses. What would I do? My right ski was behind me and Brad was below me and he didn’t see where I crashed. Fortunately, the skier who watched my fall came quickly to see how I was. He asked if I need any help and took off his skis to come to my aid. He grabbed the ski for my right leg and helped attach it back to my boot. I was grateful for his help, not sure how I would have gotten out of there without this good samaritan. I was still a distance from the lift and uncertain how I would ski there on one leg. In the middle of the steep terrain, I managed to cut across the hill and head for the easiest way down.

I made it to powder gulch and saw the Powder chair below. It felt like a long distance to cover and the slope was steeper than I wanted. Gingerly I turned and pushed a bit of weight on my wounded leg. It screamed at me from inside. Fear and disappointment filled me as I slowly struggled my way to the bottom. Brad waited there with a concerned look in his eyes.

My day was done, now to get home. We rode the chair to the top and I told my friend about the stranger that stopped his run and came to my aid. We agreed that it was a good sign that human kindness still is prevalent in our world. Carefully I traversed the easy runs to the bottom, my right leg ached as I made my way through the village and back to the condo. My day was done; I hoped my season wasn’t cut too short…

Now I sit with my leg elevated, iced, compressed, and doing my best not to be depressed. Our mountain doctor came to my place and had a look. Three weeks rest he said, probably a bad bruise to cartilage and my MCL; I hope he is right, in 2020 things could be worse…

I will wait for the message the universe is sending me. I hope my wife can put up with me for the next while as I am forced to rest and recover.