Skiing with broken rib?

[Andy Mink]

Managing speed is a tricky thing. It's generally safer for me to ski faster, but still within my control limits. That way it's like everybody else is skiing in slow motion and it's easier to get out of their way and avoid them. Just like driving in poor visibility in a snow storm, you can for sure go too fast and that's not good, but going too slow is also a problem.

She was hit FROM BEHIND. There is generally someone going faster than you somewhere on the mountain. At this time, the person was BEHIND her. How do you avoid someone who is behind you? I tend to ski looking forward so I don't hit someone. I also got hit from behind this season. I don't even know where the person came from.

 

[Paul Lutes]

You can get hit from behind/the side at any speed, or just standing still, doesn't matter. The only way to completely avoid it is to give up skiing entirely, which isn't really an option and if chosen would really grind my gears because it's based on other's lack of control. Sorry it happened to you Wendy - don't change your skiing style.

 

[crosscountry]

OK, I get the drift. Don't ski with a broken rib!

Or, if I start with 2 broken rib, I'd probably end up with 4.

 

[altabrig]

I was going slowly, but not TOO slow. (Maybe too slow for you, Francois, but entirely appropriate for the environment). I also was nearly in the trees, not near the middle of the run. I certainly was quite a bit speedier than most folks. Telling someone who is in quite a bit of pain and who just lost the rest of their ski season that it was their fault (especially when you weren't there) because of their "slow speed" doesn't sit well with me.

Awful. Had a lifty hit me coming out of trees at Alta a dozen years ago. His supervisor wasn't happy with the employee taking "no friends" on a powday to the limit at my expense. I was not the ideal consumer after I chased him to the bottom and went off at the front of the Sugarloaf lift line.


No excuse for hitting you. That arsehole should have lost their pass. I hope they did. Your speed had nothing to do with it. Uphill skier = responsibility. When did that get lost?

Kinda getting close to the crowding thread. Is it the new way to hurt someone and leave?

 

[François Pugh]

Did not mean to imply anyone was going too slowly, just that it is quite a trick to choose the best just right speed when it gets crowded.

Besides the occasional glance uphill (only when safe to take your eyes off of your intended path), another thing you can do is leave an escape path between you and the trees for errant meat missiles, and never assume that path will be there for you.

 

[altabrig]

We all need those eyes on the back of our head or at least develop a good owl swivel. Guess that inherent risk of the out of control donkey is as much a part of resort skiing as snow science is to the backcountry.

 

[crosscountry]

Ever try to turn your head when you’re nursing some broken ribs?

 

[geepers]

So yeah, it's easy to say "ski easy" or "ski not to crash" but it's a lot harder to control others. Especially the ones you don't see behind you.

All too true.

The obviously lowest risk option is not to ski at all, broken rib or totally healthy. Presumably we then accept varying degrees of risk in order to ski. Not sure about anyone else but the number of self-inflicted falls vs the number of run down from behind incidents is pretty lop-sided. So the bigger issue (for me) is falls. YMMV.

Also, decisions tend to depend on circumstances. The 1st time I skied with a broken rib it happened on what was supposed to be a once in a lifetime ski trip to Canada from Australia. Whole family, lotta dollars, not expecting to ever repeat. And 2nd day broke a rib. Only another 12 days till flying home! Sitting in the lodge watching videos for one day exceeded boredom fresh holds very quickly. So back on skis. Greens at 1st... Yes, it hurt.

Some-one who lives in Nth Amex and is going to miss maybe 1/2 a season is likely to have a different take on it.

Ever try to turn your head when you’re nursing some broken ribs?

Yes. Once.

 

[oldschoolskier]

I'd give it 2-4 of weeks to heal up a bit.

I broke a rib on a fall, hurt like hell initially beside knocking the wind out of myself, slowed me down for a few hours. Broke the same rib lifting something a week later, that hurt and progressively got worse to the point of my wife taking me to the hospital 2-3hrs later to address the pain and the potential risk of changing an annoyance injury to serious risk injury rib puncturing lung injury.

Just because it feels good doesn't mean its a good idea to "jive on", let it heal and firm up to reduce the chance of re-injury. BTW I still have problems with that concept in personal application .

 

[Smear]

OK, I get the drift. Don't ski with a broken rib!

Or, if I start with 2 broken rib, I'd probably end up with 4.

No that was the wrong conclusion.

If you start with 2 you might end up with 4 and that is ok. But if you start with 4 and you end up with 6 then that is not ok. Google "Flail chest" or not... So you get to ski, but @Wendy does not.

Also, decisions tend to depend on circumstances. The 1st time I skied with a broken rib it happened on what was supposed to be a once in a lifetime ski trip to Canada from Australia. Whole family, lotta dollars, not expecting to ever repeat. And 2nd day broke a rib. Only another 12 days till flying home! Sitting in the lodge watching videos for one day exceeded boredom fresh holds very quickly. So back on skis. Greens at 1st... Yes, it hurt.

The first time I skied with broken ribs was after having used 3 long weekend (10days) and a lot of time and effort beforehand for prepping to take telemark 1 instructor course. And then 1 week before the only weekend course I was scheduled for that winter I fell and fractured 2 ribs. I volunteered to take the most beginner group. And yes it hurt, and I skied like a cow.

The second time i skied with broken ribs was being on a training camp in hintertux. Fell the first day and refractured an old injury. The first and only time I have skied in the alps. A special 40 year gift to myself that is not likely to happen again anytime soon. Took some pinex fore and got at it. And yes it hurt, and I skied like a cow.

 

[Wendy]

Did not mean to imply anyone was going too slowly, just that it is quite a trick to choose the best just right speed when it gets crowded.

Besides the occasional glance uphill (only when safe to take your eyes off of your intended path), another thing you can do is leave an escape path between you and the trees for errant meat missiles, and never assume that path will be there for you.

Leave an escape path when the errant missive is approaching from behind, so I don’t know when it’s time to use said escape path until it’s too late because I’m looking down the hill in front of me as I should. Mmm okay.

Honestly what you’re saying is ridiculous and makes me want to laugh but that hurts too much.

Basically what you’re trying to say here is that you have all the answers to avoiding a collision, when the reality is, there are some unavoidable risks in skiing.

What happened in my case or everyone else who posted here could’ve happened to anybody, and it won’t change how I ski when I’m back on the hill.

I hope the OP is able to get back on skis safely sooner rather than later.

 

[François Pugh]

OK. Let's try this again. I'm really trying to help.

1. Always leave an escape path between you and the trees so that some idiot coming from behind you, skiing too fast and out of control with poor decision making skills chooses the wrong side and decides that he will pass between you and the trees, will be able to squeeze through.

2. Don't be that idiot. Never try to pass someone in a small gap between them and the trees, even if they were consistently avoiding said trees for the last 25 turns.

The above rule 1 is in addition to being as aware as possible of your surroundings.

The above Rule 2 is in addition to when overtaking someone, always leave enough room for them to be unable to intercept you and still obey the laws of physics - no matter what unpredictable move they make

 

[François Pugh]

Riddle me this.
How do you turn everyone in your family and circle of friends into a comedian?
Break a couple of your ribs.

 

[Philpug]

OK. Let's try this again. I'm really trying to help.

1. Always leave an escape path between you and the trees so that some idiot coming from behind you, skiing too fast and out of control with poor decision making skills chooses the wrong side and decides that he will pass between you and the trees, will be able to squeeze through.

2. Don't be that idiot. Never try to pass someone in a small gap between them and the trees, even if they were consistently avoiding said trees for the last 25 turns.

The above rule 1 is in addition to being as aware as possible of your surroundings.

The above Rule 2 is in addition to when overtaking someone, always leave enough room for them to be unable to intercept you and still obey the laws of physics - no matter what unpredictable move they make

It really sounds like you are blaming the victim ... You might consider quitting before you get further behind.

 

[François Pugh]

It really sounds like you are blaming the victim ... You might consider quitting before you get further behind.

Thanks for that. I'll stop digging now.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

I broke two ribs doing the you go, no i go on, no you go on an intersection of flat cat track and a green run about 4 years ago. Took me two weeks to goto the dr. I kept skiing through the pain before the dr and after. I crash frequently but i toned down the skiing afterwards, and then covid shut us down sooner than expected. All that being said Ive broken ribs 4 separate incidents. It sucks and healing seems to take forever. I found my body(and pain threshold) told me my recovery pace alot more than any medical professional.

 

[crosscountry]

Happy to report I did not end up with 4 broken ribs from the powder harvesting.

Lucked out with the recent good snow in northern Vermont. The ribs must had healed up sufficiently, I was able to ski normally. (A lot of poling in soft snow getting through the flat sections. No pain thank god).

And as I knew myself well, I quickly forgot about being “careful” or “dial back” since the pain wasn’t too noticeable. Did end up with a “fall” when I skied into a big pile of snow I couldn’t see in the flat light. Fortunately, the snow was soft. Might have mildly pulled a muscle on my thumb. But the ribs were fine.

 

[Rdputnam515]

Skied almost one half season on a broken rib, then broke one again the following year and skied all year.

Probably not the best thing to do, and my ribs have never been right since.

PS- One of the years was the absolute best snow year of my life. Deep every week all year.

 

[crosscountry]

my ribs have never been right since.

How?

 

[oldschoolskier]

Sharp pointy race bright colored poles pointed in the direction that you cannot see, sure act as a good motivation for errant boarders/skiers to avoid getting close to you in that quarter.

This is the porcupine technique.