I guided us over to Bear Mountain where the morning sun would be softening up the hard-packed, groomed trails. We followed Great Eastern over which was a good way to warm up and then headed down some blue trails towards the lodge. The crowds were thin, the snow and weather good - it was going to be a great day. We rode the chair up to the top of Skye and started down. I got into making hard, on-my-edge turns and was loving it. Donna was a little nervous about going down this one as it was steeper at the top. So, I started to think about coming to a stop to check on her and all of a sudden - as I transitioned from a heel-side turn to a toe-side turn, the back of my board hit a bump I did not see. I tipped forward as I was coming down on my toe side edge. I did not think it was going to be a big deal, but my front foot and ankle was being jammed forward inside my snug boots with unbelievable pressure. I felt pain on both sides of my ankle and heard crunching noises coming out of my front boot! I rolled over to take the pressure off my ankle and came to a sliding stop on the hill.
Donna rode by me and slowed down. She saw me fall, but it didn't look like anything. I took a few minutes to gather myself, then stood and tested the front foot. Not good. I knew it was going to be bad. I was still in disbelief, though. I made my way down the rest of the run going very carefully, especially on the toe side turns. I didn't say anything to Donna, so we rode back up to the top of Skye. I knew I had to get back over to the car at the base of Killington. We were both cold already, so I said let's go back to the Killington Lodge. We took the runs that got us there, and I was hurting more and more. We went down an icy, ungroomed trail and got to the lodge.
As we walked into the Lodge, I said to Donna - here's the deal: I am done! I explained briefly my problem and she went outside to bring back a baggy of snow and I started to take my boots off. Once the boot was off - which was the most pain I have felt in awhile, I propped the foot up and iced it down while Donna went to get the car. I hobbled into the car and we went straight to the Emergency Room at Rutland Hospital. They are experienced in this sort of thing, and even on Easter Sunday, had my under an X-Ray
in about 30 minutes. Nothing broken, so home I went with an Ace Bandage, Ibuprofen and ice. Did I mention, Ugly! --->
Monday I had to take off for a week of doing talks across the state that would end on Friday near Niagara Falls. Needless to say, it was not easy to keep it Rested Iced Compressed and Elevated. But I did the best I could. Donna and I switched vehicles since I could not depress the clutch of the Subaru.
Today I am making up for the mistreatment of the week and heating and icing as well as resting and elevating. Hopefully, I can get it recovered and still get in another day or two of snowboarding and also get a good start to the biking season. It is killing me today, as conditions up on the mountain are ideal again. We had 8 inches of snow! Also, the conditioning I had gained by training for and riding in California in February will whither away as I recover. Part of the price of getting out there and pushing the limits is having to spend some time recovering.
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