3 days of Skiing

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday I went skiing with friends in Mt. Shasta. Each day was strangely wonderful with a near death type of experience in the middle which I found kind of strange.

But, each day I still woke up ready for another day of skiing. However, Sunday morning I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a truck and knew I had to stop skiing for now. I had thought about going back to the ski park Monday but realized it was a bridge too far the way I felt in barely being able to get out of bed because I was just in so much pain from those 3 days of skiing.

But, another way to look at this is:

I almost died last year with a Burst appendix. I really didn't expect to survive then let alone this whole year. So, being able to survive skiing 3 days was a miracle in itself now in my late 60s.

So, I proved to myself I can still ski, even if it is easier to ride a lift chair up and ski intermediate routes rather than take the black diamond routes I used to. So, I was happy to learn I can still ski but just have to compensate for my age a little more each year.

A few years ago now I was skiing over 30 mph down Douglas at the Mt. Shasta ski park and fell going too fast for my age I spun sideways down the hill and thought I might have broken my neck from the spin at that speed. My neck hurt for the next month or two but I recovered. I started skiing much slower after that so if I fell it wouldn't break my neck or hurt me too bad.

This time it was about falling through the Ice on Castle lake while on skis the first day. I made sure that if I fell through with friends that it would be less than neck deep so when the snow ice gave I only went in up to my belt or less. So, the most difficult thing was getting my skis off and not going into shock. But, strangely enough I didn't go into shock and recovered with no frost bite simply by getting into a bath that first day.

On the second morning we (the 4 of us) decided to all ski at Mt. Shasta Ski park (my treat). I had thought it was going to be expensive but because 2 of us were oever 65 and one over 70 it was amazingly reasonable. An Afternoon session on a weekday (Friday) was only about 25 for over 65 and 12 for over 70 to ski for a week day afternoon.

We lucked out because it was so icy on the road that 2 Highway patrols were there at snowman summit on Highway 89 so people wouldn't slide and crash into each other. So, the road conditions and snow and slush and ice coming down out of the sky greatly limited the number of skiers on Friday. So, we had a really great time not having to dodge a gaggle of skiers. a Truly wonderful day of skiing because of this and pretty good conditions with new snow.

My only mistake was to be talked into a Douglas Black Diamond slope by a friend. I found I couldn't turn well enough to pull it off in these conditions on a really steep slope then couldn't get the bindings to reattach to my boot and had to walk down the steeper parts which took about 2 hours time. My friend skied down to get the ski patrol to pick me up but by that time I had walked down enough to clear my bindings. Also I noticed someone skiing with a stem Christie style which looks like a high speed snow plow.

I realized he had been having trouble not falling in the deep snow on turns too. So, by using that style I got back to the ski lodge exhausted but happy using a stem christie style.

The last day of skiing we decided to ski Bunny Flats to Lower Sand Flats up on Mt. Shasta but the conditions weren't right for me so I wound up expending about 4 times the energy of my skiing buddies getting through the snow down to lower sand flats road. At one point I fell down and because it wasn't manicured like up at the ski park I fell in about 4 feet deep and had to try to find a way to climb back up onto my skis when I took them off to be able to get back up on them.

I realized I just could not fall at all under these conditions and survive the day so I changed my stance and the way I skied so I could survive it and my friends wouldn't have to wait forever for me to get down to my truck. I made it!

But that night and morning on Sunday morning I felt like I had been run over by a truck and knew it was time to stop skiing while I was ahead. By Monday morning I had rested enough to drive home. I felt bad for my older friend for whom at 72 Friday sort of did him in at the ski park but he had rested up hoping to ski again with us on Monday. But, I had to survive the situation so I drove home Monday instead because my wife had gotten sick and I needed to take care of her.

So, all in all it was amazing to be able to ski so much after almost dying this last year from a burst appendix. I feel now I have rejoined the living and am looking forward to the rest of my life.