big mario Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 I'm a whopping 1.5 weeks into a ~6week injury sabbatical, broken rib with a pneumothorax( collapsed lung in simple terms) after catching my toe edge after bringing my board around on a fakie six check. Starting to feel like I am almost losing my mind a little. Since I have been sitting around healing up, I have been thinking about the injuries I have sustained in the last few decades. 17/18/19 seasons nothing, yay! 16/17 vertical tear in my left achilles, medial meniscus on my right leg, IT band syndrome right leg 13/14/15/16 seasons, maybe a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major on my snowboards 12/13 broken tailbone after tangling with a tree 8/9/10/11/12 pretty uneventful, maybe a few bruised ribs from head augering with phones and music players in my chest pockets. Stopped listening to tunes during this time, and made sure my phone is in a hip pocket now 07/08 loosing argument with some trailside rocks and foilage led to a wicked concussion and my first( and hopefully last) ambulance ride 06/07 maybe a small fracture on the outside of my ankle, I kept riding and never went to a doctor. I realized at this point a had a serious snowboard problem 02-06 all good. 92 -02 broken tailbone first time out. didn't ride much in this time period. What have you got? Mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.E Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 In addition to the standard bumps and bruises I've popped a shoulder, dislocated a knee cap and had a couple whopper concussions. Plus some frostbite, I guess. May have cracked shin one year, but never got it looked at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_lupo Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Good gravey!!! Sorry to hear you’re off the snow. 90: Broken tailbone on day one 92ish: Broke riding buddy’s finger (he claims) 93-97: A couple of consussions, bloody noses 98: Had a crazy wipeout while trying to keep up with my girlfriend (a DH racer, and now wife). Tore up something pretty good in my groin (SNOWBOARDING!!!) and nearly passed out when we were walking from the parking into Tommynockers. Things were an ugly purple, yellow and black mess for months. 03: Smashed up a bunch of bones in my ankle (wakeboarding) 15-19: Switched to hard boots and earned assorted shoulder cartilage damage and concussions. Seem to rack up more injuries in a shorter period carving than I ever did freeriding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 It's not so much the injuries at the time it's the nagging that results later in life that affects you the most . There all coming back to remind you that you are not in fact indestructible but disposable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuxdiesel Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 I've had a few hard slams over the years, but other than breaking my wrist in 1984 riding my Burton Performer (slamming on ice because the metal side fins wouldn't let you turn on hard snow), nothing else serious. It's not the years, but the mileage- 10+ years racing, 13 years instructing, 17 years patrolling. Long term the worst thing is how messed up my knees and feet are, having had multiple knee surgeries to keep them going, and how my arches and toes are all funky from years of cramming size 10 1/2 feet into size 9 shells. My feet have retaliated and grown (flattened) out to almost 11 1/2, prompting me to buy larger soft and hard boots, tele boots and maybe even ski boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelc Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Thankfully in NZ we ride above the tree line..... All the worst injuries are from driving the nose into soft snow. There are supposed to be eight knee ligaments, and I only have five left. I have lost count of how many broken ribs. Also two concussions. Always from being hit from behind. All spread over 25 seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kneel Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Cracked a rib first time out Thanksgiving '18, subsequent to at least feeling I could breath normally again by Christmas which correlates to the defining moment in time I made the conscious and sobering decision to stop trying to keep up with my 18yo son. I never stopped riding while on the mend. Don't tell my wife. Thanks. Got my bell rung pretty good at MCC trying to carve in all that pesky soft snow last day. Made my flight home so couldn't have been that bad. Probably dislocated my shoulder March '19 in Big Sky. 3 months of PT. Don't tell her about that one either. Just woke up one morning this summer feeling like my arm(the other one) was hanging out of its socket. X-rays, MRIs, 3 months of rehab. Still don't know what I did. Still can feel it. Getting old is bullshit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishsurfer Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Ill just list everything major including non snowboarding stuff. 13 years old catastrophic break of the tibia and phibia in my left resulting in muscular and nerve damage in conjunction with an infection doing further damage to the nervous system in my legs. 5 months in various cast and crutches and physio being taught to walk again was another 9 months. 24- broken rib and cracked cartiledge in my sternum and heavily brusied hip when i crashed qualifying for a mountain bike downhill race in wales. Ragdolling at 35mph plus wasnt a pleseant experience but with some pain killers and stuborness i qualified and raced then discovered my rib was broken when i got home and went to the docs 27- cracked the same rib 3 times in the one year racing DH, id crash crack it race then rest up until the pain went away at which point id then crash and recrack it... 32- first snowboarding injury riding park jumped on to a corigated pipe where i slid out and landed knee first on the pipe. unfortunately i had a go pro in my knee pocket that cut the subcutaneous prepatellar bursa pretty much in half to this day its never reknit back together so it just kind of floats about on top of my right knee cap. 33- Massively overshot a small jump to flat and knee'd myself in the chest on landing cracking the cartiledge in my sternum again... fortunately ive been pretty much injury free since and touch wood hopefully it will continue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnE Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 I'm a wimp. I don't like pain. In 50 years of skiing and snowboarding, I've had almost no serious injuries. The only exceptions were that I briefly dislocated a shoulder on an epic powder day about 3 years ago. It hurt really bad but it occurred at 10AM and I finished the day. I had shoulder issues for more than a year afterwards. About 5 years ago, I caught an edge on hard snow and got body-slammed on my chest. It hurt really bad but I finished the day. Other than that, I can't think of any. If I were to get seriously hurt, I would find it pretty difficult to get back on the board and ride the way I'm used to. I think that some riders spend their days at the edge of a cliff. They are great riders and they occasionally fall off and get hurt bad. I tend to stay away from the cliff and ease up to it. As I said: I'm a wimp. I don't like pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soybomb Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 I did the same mario....1999 - end of the last run under the lift and i caught my toe edge.....catapulted my torso into the hard, vermont skied-off ice pack at approximately the speed of sound. to top it off i had a rachet tool in my check pocket. The people on the lift were terrified and all i could do was groan in response to their questions. I def broke some ribs and to this day i still get agonizing pain on that side when i'm reaching into the bowels of my boat. I also tore a meniscus skiing. But by far the scariest thing was when i was ripping a toe side turn at Stratton and the burton rat trap on my front foot released....i went ass first off the side of the trail (with my back foot still attached and the board starting to twist) and only by the grace of god did i not hit a tree. It would have been game over. It scared the piss out of me....for about an hour. the hubris of youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 A few too many concussions (two that came within 2 weeks of each other and ended my season). Plus a few butt-slams that had the same effect, of being actually able to feel your brain bouncing off the inside of your skull. Dislocated thumb. Second degree frostbite on three toes. That's actually about it. Guess I really do ride like a girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Head first lawn dart that somehow sprung one of my ribs slightly out of place. I guess that's where the energy of the impact went - beats breaking my neck, but that rib now pokes me in certain postures. Pretty memorable muscle spasm in my lower back last year at Montucky after a perfectly pedestrian fall. That took months to get over. Messed up rotator cuff from a hard forward fall - no dislocation, but it was years before I could sleep on that side pain-free again. Not too bad a toll, I guess. It probably helps that I ride slower than I did as a feckless youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 33 minutes ago, Allee said: That's actually about it. Guess I really do ride like a girl. Don't make me break out the feels! I've had a few twisted knees/ankles and other issues, but the worst was torn cartilage between the sternum and the ribs after a nice chest slam. That really sucked. I tried to do a push-up to get up immediately after the slam - things just didn't work and that spread the tear open. Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grip Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Did my wrist (going about walking speed... yay!) on day-one last year. Kept me off the rest of the year and off the dirt bike all summer. Just had my first day back this past Monday and had a blast. Wear wrist guards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) Bigs, why does it not surprise me that you would start this thread?!? short but big list for me... Torn right ACL and meniscus of front knee slightly under rotating a back flip. Maybe ‘94ish Shattered right pelvis, 2 broken ribs, broken vertebrae, split liver and kidney broken into 3 pieces. Hit a tree after getting stuck in a toe side turn race training at around 30mph in ‘98. Ripped the bottom 1/2” off right tibia inside boot due to not moving the board thru the turn on H2O injected WC hill. Tail snapped out to the right, heel edge caught, high speed spontaneous inverted aerial ensued. I think 2000. Heal up Bigs, love ya bruddah! ink Edited January 27, 2020 by inkaholic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted January 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 12 minutes ago, inkaholic said: Bigs, why does it not surprise me that you would start this thread? Because you've been riding with me for like 15 years on boards and bikes, and you know that my enthusiasm sometimes eclipses my abilities. I knew that 98 crash was bad, but damn, when you go big... Love you too bruddah, starting low impact dry land training (wall sits) for Montucky next week Mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnE Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 A high school buddy of mine got into a lot of high risk sports: In high school & college he played rugby. He got into mountain biking early and crashed often. He got into paragliding and had a number of hard landings. He was an early adopter of snowboarding and hardbooting and got me into it. He crashed often and hard but still got back into the sport. Many years ago I asked him: "Gregory - have you seen those high-tech wheel chairs? Because I think you're going to need one someday." I haven't seen him in years. I don't know how well he is doing. I'm sure that we will all find out how the cumulative injuries we have had during our lifetimes come back to remind us as we get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) /85' Boxers fracture 3 bones rt hand 7 concussions by /88' /88' 3" Spiral fracture right ankle/fibula /skateboarding a pool/no surgery /92' Pars fractures L4 & L5 /93' Left foot/2 broken metatarsals/dancers fracture/snowboarding-washed out of toeside and chalked the edge hard while sliding on my belly /94' Left shoulder separation/collar bone break/scapula fracture/both thumbs and both index fingers fractured/mountain bike /95' Started wearing a skateboard helmet when snowboarding /98' Whiplash/ came out of deep pow onto groomed run with a large snow-cat berm. Numerous finger fractures over the years... /04' Broken left elbow/radial head-skateboarding /05' Left knee partial tears/mcl, acl, lcl, cartilage damage/ MRI-recommended at consult for knee replacement-nothing done. It is now my good knee. /13' Broken rib displaced #8 left, backside/ Looped out of toeside EC turn/ overloaded nose-ejected out the back seat. It tasted like metal in my mouth for about three months /17' mild concussion-Taken out from behind at Loveland by gaper spring break skier from Chicago /18' Right wrist/Hairline fracture. Don't Pat the dog! /18' Tail Bone squatting in heelside carves took its toll. Softboot/bad technique... since corrected /19' Broken rib left, backside #7 displaced #8 fractured, and 3 separated up front. skateboarding its been a good run... still paying off the ribs... Edited January 3, 2020 by slopestar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunSurfer Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 15 hours ago, big mario said: my enthusiasm sometimes eclipses my abilities. I'll own that, and we have lots of company. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) You guys have banged yourselves up pretty good over the years! Let me see... Broke the right tumb, as a kid, on skis. We were on a ski trip in another country, didnt even go to the doctor. Caried on skiing, but couldnt write my school assignments for over a week Spilled a pot of boiling tea onto my foot, on another short ski trip. Some skin came off with the sock... end of the trip... In teen years, knee into a rock hidden under pow - straightlining some nasty stuff to impress the girls. Nothing broken, just the knee size of a melon. Whatever the internal soft tisue damage was, it bothered me for many years after. At Cypress, I fell on ice in the parking lot, right on top of my board, without releasing the hand grip. My left thumb tip literally exploaded open. If not for the glove, the edge would have probably amputared it. Still rode that day, after taping it tight. Few days later, I pulled thar that nail out with pliers. After it healed, I only had about 10% of tactile feeling left. A bit better now, 13 years later. A really bad left shin bone bruise, or hairline crack, from loosing the edge at speed on bad hard pack and still chattering through the stop. It bothered me all season, I had to come up with a different boot setup, to get the pressure away from the painful spot. A triple repetitive shoulder injury, in the fall, winter and spring, from a dog-walking incident, snowboarding and skateboarding, left me with separated left clavicle. Strained, or partially ripped, ribcage muscles, at Level 4 course, 2 years ago. Park... Funny enough, it felt like a back injury at first, only after few days I was able to locate the source of pain. I still feel from time to time, not really as a pain, but a sort of a warning from the body. At least 3 concussions, all from snowboard, always other people involved. The worst one was where I was already reaching to unclip my boot, by the lift line, where a small kid skied/hockey stopped into the back of my boots, sending me into a half-backflip, head landing. That was the only one where I blackened out for a few seconds. In 2012, broken left hip (greater trochanter), in a ski race (after winning the snowboard division already). This was my only trip in the patrol's tobogan and ambulance, so far. Doctor wanted to see if it would heal without screws and it supposedly did. Groin ligaments got badly stratched too, but no one was really interested into looking at them, with a more obvious injury at hand. Last year I reinjured that hip in a thumble, felt horrible, so I took xrays. It is still mostly separated It's a mystery how that leg (mostly) functions, with minimum pain. Once I fell on jump and tweaked something in the back, on the 2nd last day of the Cypress season. The stifness and pain just wouldn't go away for 2 weeks, until I went to Whistler with the rest of the crew. I struggled all morning taking it easy, just trying to keep up... then, I somehow colided with Scooby, just before lunch and CRACK! just like a khiro, all the pain and stifness gone! Thanks buddy Yesterday, I couldn't read the countor (frozen, rough) in the fog/flat light, on a pretty stupid run and fell backwards. Something snapped badly between the neck and shoulder blades and my right hand went completely numb, left partialy. For few seconds I thought the season was over, but the life started coming back to the hands and was fine after a minute. I'm fine today. Silly enough, my left shoulder (separated one) feels better today than any time over the last year or so!?! And I don't like going to doctors much, as you can tell Then, there was a pile of other nonsense from non-snow related stuff. Lots of cuts and burns, road rush, frostbite, near drowning, concussions... from other sports or general stupidity... One semi-severe car accident with a hospital's mistske almost finishing me off... Broken nose and punctured eardrum from fighting in my early teens... Edited January 3, 2020 by BlueB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 couple thoughts comes to mind: speedy recover to everyone on the DL list... Nothing sound remotely "relax" up in here with all the injuries.... As many have mentioned: it's the long term impact on the body that's going to haunt us....https://forums.alpinesnowboarder.com/topic/47536-is-relaxing-carving-possible/#comments Need constant reminder that we participate in a relative dangerous sports. How aggressive do you rate you self? pushing the edge/limit is a huge part of the fun for me... but i will be staying on my "girly"/green trail lol... Best practices: Other than helmet; what other piece of protective gears do you swear by? wrist guard, back protector... for me: helmet, knee pad, braces(this year new addition/preventive), impact shorts and g-form top. At what point does the padding start to impact our riding lol? death by thousand cuts. Checking equipment for tear/wear Check your uphill/be situation aware any other tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnE Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 As far as protective gear I have long used a helmet. Because I got scared about all the others sharing the slopes with me I got a POC spine protector a couple of years back. I realize that in a collision with another slope-slider these will provide only a little bit of extra protection. My solution was to start riding only weekdays. Much fewer people. Also, I note that the others on the slopes during the week tend to be older and mostly skiers. Most of them are either competent skiers or timid beginners. Very different from weekend traffic. I went to my regular slope last Friday which being during Christmas week was as crowded as a weekend. I remembered why I don't do that anymore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carvin' Marvin Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Geez, what are y'all made of? Water jelly held together by a hollow crystalline matrix? Oh wait...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 I feel like a wimp. I must be doing something wrong on the slopes, I've remained relatively unscathed. (2 shattered ribs, and 1 bruised rib different years). I do attribute some of the luck to being on the groomers as little as possible. I can however, regale you with a triple bypass and a new knee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePeonsChamp Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Broke my leg in 2 places as a kid sledding. I am only 5 seasons in but man do I love this sport. Let's see, broke a wrist 3 years ago. Had a slam heelside 2 years ago that seemed to loosen some intercostal stuffs which took a while to heal. Some whiplash from that one aswell and last but not least last year I was having a fantastic day on the last day of the season but I was messing with my new .951s and got my first lowback spasm and boy was it nasty. I was getting lazy and not stretching enough towards the end of the season. Almost passed out when I stood up after resting for a bit at home. Ears ringing and tunnel vision. Luckily a friend was over and helped me out with a muscle relaxer. Ended up going in to the hospital the pain was so bad. I try to ride wiser not harder now. Got my schedule changed so I can ride 2 days during the weekdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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