53’s Journey

[Started at 53]

Lunch and drinks

 

[Jenny]

I only made 10 runs, I did not take any Advil today and my left hip started to bother me on left footed turns. Had two really good Dark & Stormys at the bottom when I was done



I skied Red Buffalo all 10 runs today, it was awesome.

Glad you had a good day! I love Beaver Creek - like the atmosphere there so much more than Vail.

 

[Chris V.]

53, we're ready for more video, please. We want to see how you're doing!

 

[Philpug]

I skied powder, as in 11 freaking inches, for the first time today. Not quite what I am accustomed to skiing. It was a steep learning curve. Took two early falls then kinda figured it out. I can say without hesitation, I like GROOMED DV runs!

To quote @Bob Barnes,"If you want to get a taste for powder, you have to eat some".

 

[Started at 53]

The hip problem from yesterday was terrible this morning. No way I was going to be able to ski. Any weight and angulation on the left foot was instant pain. I was SUPER upset to say the least. I took 3 Tylenol and things got a bit better...... add in 2 Advil and I was ready to give it a try. Due to the hip, we stayed at Vail and I just skied Mid-Vail as I figured if I was in pain I could get back quickly.

Started out very tentative and defensive, but then after about the middle of the 2nd run it got better. Certainly not a technically stellar day, but I was out there and made some turns. It was not bad early, but got pretty tracked up by mid-late morning.

I don’t think it was a setback day, but I felt no progress, although my Bode Miller DH tuck position to make it up a slope on the Meadows run is getting pretty good. Betsy saw it in full action twice from above on Chair #3 while I was in the tuck and she was in the chair. To say that she laughed would be an understatement!

Stats for the day:
14 runs
10,555 vertical which is my most ever
13.5 miles
Top Speed in the Bode tuck.... 28.4

I will drug up again in the morning and we will ski Beaver Creek again tomorrow.

 

[Monique]

You're a grown-ass man, but I would think about whether it's a good idea to mask pain in order to ski - ie, are you just masking pain, or are you hindering your ability to notice when you've pushed your body too far?

Anyway, as you keep skiing, not every day will feel like progress. Noticing a day without progress probably means you're progressing (on average)!

 

[Started at 53]

You're a grown-ass man, but I would think about whether it's a good idea to mask pain in order to ski - ie, are you just masking pain, or are you hindering your ability to notice when you've pushed your body too far?

Anyway, as you keep skiing, not every day will feel like progress. Noticing a day without progress probably means you're progressing (on average)!

Yes, I was masking pain. Guilty as charged!!! I wanted to ski, Betsy suggested a visit to the hospital, I declined.

Wise or smart choice? I would say nope. But I wanted to ski. Would I have allowed one of my kids to do as I did? NO CHANCE! But in my former life I did lots of things to be able to play that would never be allowed now. Gotta remember, I’m getting old, I can’t waste days

 

[Fuller]

Stats for the day:
14 runs
10,555 vertical which is my most ever
13.5 miles
Top Speed in the Bode tuck.... 28.4

I'm not sure what to make of your focus on these stats. On one hand it can be fun to keep track of things like that but I'm sure you realize it has little bearing on your real progress other than just putting time in the saddle. Conversely if you did 5 extra runs in pain and in bad form in order to get the stats where you wanted them, I would say that is not progress.

Maybe you could identify some goals related to mastering some specific skills (skating on skis for instance) put them in order and check off the boxes. That level of focus could bring about a more rapid improvement. Maybe you already have a plan like that?

btw I really like @LiquidFeet 's idea of learning one skill at a time and then bundling them together as you progress. I've been trying to bring some discipline and organization to my learning approach and it's helped. She could explain it better.

As for being old you have at least 25 years to go before things really go off the rails!

 

[skier]

Yes, I was masking pain. Guilty as charged!!! I wanted to ski, Betsy suggested a visit to the hospital, I declined.

Wise or smart choice? I would say nope. But I wanted to ski. Would I have allowed one of my kids to do as I did? NO CHANCE! But in my former life I did lots of things to be able to play that would never be allowed now. Gotta remember, I’m getting old, I can’t waste days

Hello 53, I've enjoyed reading your posts, but now felt compelled to reply by the urge to be helpful. I've had my share of chronic injuries from sports, and turning it around as early as possible is the key. I've seen some of your videos where you are basically doing wedge turns. I can't do wedge turns for more than a run or two before my hips start really hurting. I've been told that wedge turns bother some people, because it pinches the hips, though my kids can do them all day long. Without using wedge turns, I can ski all day for many days in a row without any discomfort all over the mountain, moguls, ice, powder, steeps, whatever, but a couple green runs with wedge turns, and I'll be in pain. Fortunately, lots of wedge turns are typically only needed as a drill.
Everyone always has advice to give, especially in a ski instructor environment, so it's easy to get tired of hearing it, but my advice is to move on from the wedge turns. Start over on the easiest run and stay on it top to bottom until you can get down with parallel turns, Then, move on to a harder trail once you can do that. You've done enough wedge turns.

 

[newboots]

Wise or smart choice? I would say nope. But I wanted to ski. Would I have allowed one of my kids to do as I did? NO CHANCE! But in my former life I did lots of things to be able to play that would never be allowed now. Gotta remember, I’m getting old, I can’t waste days

But you'll be wasting a lot more days if you wreck up that hip from working it when it was injured. We heal a lot slower as we get older. I'm sure the temptation is enormous, given that you live in the South and are only at the mountain for limited days. We are all tempted - even deciding that a run should be the last, when we are tired but would love to keep skiing.

Older and wiser?

Signed,
Started at 63

 

[Started at 53]

I'm not sure what to make of your focus on these stats. On one hand it can be fun to keep track of things like that but I'm sure you realize it has little bearing on your real progress other than just putting time in the saddle. Conversely if you did 5 extra runs in pain and in bad form in order to get the stats where you wanted them, I would say that is not progress.

Maybe you could identify some goals related to mastering some specific skills (skating on skis for instance) put them in order and check off the boxes. That level of focus could bring about a more rapid improvement. Maybe you already have a plan like that?

btw I really like @LiquidFeet 's idea of learning one skill at a time and then bundling them together as you progress. I've been trying to bring some discipline and organization to my learning approach and it's helped. She could explain it better.

As for being old you have at least 25 years to go before things really go off the rails!

@Fuller
This is kind of a journal of my progress so I just keep track of everything. As for goals on specific parts of skiing, I have a goal every day, I have a goal for the week, etc...

Several of you are correct, in that I do have limited days and really wanted to ski. As stated above, no I should not have. I am pretty in tune with my body, and sadly have dealt with a lot of pain since I was 13, to the point of never sleeping more than an hour and a half straight for over 15 years at one point. No, I am not skiing today, my pain is a bit worse today and I have a 30+ hour commute on Sunday night to go to work, so I need to rest things up a bit.

Wedge Turns.... I am nearly out of it (I am out of it on cat track type terrain), I did not get any video this week mainly because @Mrs. 53 (she got 20,000’ vertical yesterday even though she was hanging mount with me a bunch) was skiing her butt off and not taking video. She did ski with me a bit and she noted a few things and said there was a lot of progress. She got me doing much wider turns using more of the run so the C’s or S’s were deeper rather than a squiggly line down the slope.

So... No skiing today, but I am not upset about it like I was yesterday morning... Maybe I am growing up

I doubt it tho



By the way, I did get air a couple of times this week.... I bet I coulda jumped a shoe box

 

[Started at 53]

To quote @Bob Barnes,"If you want to get a taste for powder, you have to eat some".

Powder falls are a lot softer

 

[fatbob]

A bit of Tylenol and Advil is hardly having cortisone shots and guzzling Vicodin just to get on the bunny hill. I expect most skiers need to take those sort of OTC meds occasionally to keep going. Certainly over the age of 40 you get more niggles.

 

[Monique]

A bit of Tylenol and Advil is hardly having cortisone shots and guzzling Vicodin just to get on the bunny hill. I expect most skiers need to take those sort of OTC meds occasionally to keep going. Certainly over the age of 40 you get more niggles.

Three Tylenol is a lot for someone who IIRC is not a big guy.

If everyone were jumping off a bridge, would you?

Of course everyone takes stuff occasionally. I used to be a big believer in Vitamin I. Now I can't take it at all due to a medical condition. But looking back ..... jeez, I pumped a lot of that stuff into my body. And it really isn't great for your body, and most people don't avoid alcohol while taking these OTC pain meds. Nasty combo.

 

[Chris Walker]

I have a bum hip and an angry lower back from who knows what youthful foolishness. I was concerned about the healthfulness of the ibuprofen I was taking quite regularly, and I swore it off in favor of things like foam rolling, stretching and exercises to strengthen nearby muscles. If the pain is too bad I won't ski. It's not as easy or quick a solution as "vitamin I" but I haven't missed any ski days in the past 3 years. For me it's just a better choice than popping pills, which I was doing almost daily. YMMV.

 

[fatbob]

Three Tylenol is a lot for someone who IIRC is not a big guy.

If everyone were jumping off a bridge, would you?

Of course everyone takes stuff occasionally. I used to be a big believer in Vitamin I. Now I can't take it at all due to a medical condition. But looking back ..... jeez, I pumped a lot of that stuff into my body. And it really isn't great for your body, and most people don't avoid alcohol while taking these OTC pain meds. Nasty combo.

I agree basically - no idea what your dosage is on Tylenol but I wouldn't take more than 2x500mg of Paracetamol in one go (as I know its about the nastiest OTC to OD on). But if you're on vacation and its the difference between doing something and not I'm not going to criticize someone for taking stuff in moderation. Heck we all dope ourselves up on medication sometimes just to get to work and do a job, vacation time is more important to me.

Appreciate your metrics may vary if you're an every weekend warrior etc etc

 

[Monique]

I agree basically - no idea what your dosage is on Tylenol but I wouldn't take more than 2x500mg of Paracetamol in one go (as I know its about the nastiest OTC to OD on). But if you're on vacation and its the difference between doing something and not I'm not going to criticize someone for taking stuff in moderation. Heck we all dope ourselves up on medication sometimes just to get to work and do a job, vacation time is more important to me.

Appreciate your metrics may vary if you're an every weekend warrior etc etc

Typically, people take the "Extra strength Tylenol," which is 500mg each. Regular is 250.

I wasn't criticizing, just gently inquiring. As I said - he's a grown-ass man and can make his own decisions.

Me, a few years ago, I dosed up on Tylenol, Sudafed, Delsym, and Mucinex, and an entire bag of Ricola every ski day while coughing constantly. After a while of that, I took a trip to visit family in Utah / ski, and I utterly collapsed after a couple of days of more laid-back family time. A few months later, I asked my doc why I felt so tired all the time. She theorized that I'd had walking pneumonia, as the symptoms fit and it often results in a month or two of exhaustion afterward.

Oops?

 

[Started at 53]

Hmm, 6’3 and 195 lbs. Not small by my standards.

As for pain killers, I existed on them for about 10 years to be able to function. I now get pain management injections about every 12-18 months and function very well with only moderate pain.

Actually changed out travel home from tomorrow to day as there is supposed to be a big dump here tomorrow and I can’t get stuck here in Vail/Eagle. I have to fly out of Miami Sunday night for work and no way I could afford to not make that flight.

So.... IF you are looking for powder, CO is your friend this weekend

 

[Monique]

Hmm, 6’3 and 195 lbs. Not small by my standards.

Ooops! I misremembered. My bad; carry on.

I'll be driving from Park City to Breck during the day tomorrow. Should be ... interesting. In retrospect, I'm not sure why I didn't just plan to drive today, but oh well. Can't disappoint grandma - gotta visit her one more time in hospice before I head out.

 

[Fuller]

She did ski with me a bit and she noted a few things and said there was a lot of progress.

You are making progress, it took me 15 years or so before I got a compliment from my wife (justifiably I'm sure).