Man.
I was 100% prepared to deal with the emotional toll of being a scaredy-cat on skis. But that's not the case. I am very much raring to go. I haven't skied the gnarliest stuff I've ever skied, but I've skied relatively steep slopes, some trees, etc, without getting anxious. The technique work I did this season actually makes me *more* comfortable, because when I feel like I'm out of control, I know exactly what I need to fix. It's very empowering.
I was (apparently) 0% prepared for my knee to still be as cranky as it is. Especially the last few weeks. I don't know exactly what's going on. It could have to do with the shifting weather / pressure systems. It could be that spring conditions are harder on the joints, and anyway I only started skiing terrain in Mid-March, before which I was skiing groomers and very carefully selected bump runs (ding ding ding!) It could be something else? My knee has gone from being reasonably happy most of the time (except after a day of skiing), to being pretty cranky most of the time. And when it's cranky, it's not just that it hurts. I could deal with it hurting. The problem is that it won't bend once it starts hurting, which puts me out of control, so then I start doing what my friend Kevin calls "rotato potato" moves (upper body rotation), which torques my knee ... on and on in a vicious cycle.
I rode my mountain bike a couple of weeks ago, and while it felt 100% fine during the ride, it seemed like the start of the ongoing crankiness. I was planning to get in shape this summer by mountain biking, lots. I realize it's premature, but I'm worried if riding isn't an option. I sold my road bike, which in any case never fit me properly and hurt my knees *before* all this. I was also looking forward to rock climbing. I was cleared to rock climb two months before I was cleared to ski, but even easy indoor routes piss off my knee royally, so that's a big nope.
I've been avoiding squats, lunges, etc because they were irritating my patellar tendon, thus resulting in less skiing, so another possibility is that I've exhausted the strength that I built up while doing that exercise program, which I quit in ... January, I think.
I think it's time to check in with one of my PTs and see what they think ...