 Poster: A snowHead
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miranda, that's interesting, and I'm sure that learning to fall the right way would make a huge difference in most cases. But that's assuming you have that split second before actually falling to realize it's about to happen and to do something about it. The fall I recently had was over before I knew it had started, and looking back over my more than 30 years of skiing (  ) that hardly ever happens. I usually know if I've made a mistake/bad turn/hit a rock or ice etc and have a fraction of time to try and recover.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RachelQ, I had a totally unexpected fall on our last day on a blue run. One second I was skiing, the next my head was slamming off the snow (thank god for my helmet). Don't know how or why it happened . Fortunately my bindings both released, and only my poles got tangled up with me and there was nothing really damaged apart from my pride. As JB wasn't even looking and only noticed when he saw me trying to get my skis back on , it was just as well.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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RachelQ, yes same for me - in this instance it was very quick and a shock, I had absolutely no chance of thinking about how to fall, one ski stayed on, adieu ACL. I guess that's why they managed (or claim to have managed) to have reduced ACL injuries by half in the sample of instructors and patrol rather than preventing them altogether. I did not look at the study in detail by the way, just the headline figure, so I don't know if it's a simple as saying we looked at two seasons in a row and one season they had 20 broken ACLs and one season they had 10 or whatever, which would be a bit silly obviously without factoring in all sorts of other stuff. It would be great to think they could find a surefire way of preventing this type of injury in skiing, but as it's one that happens to all sorts of skiers, from beginners through to experts, and in all sorts of circumstances, I don't think it's going to happen even if bindings change. Someone's always going to have an unlucky day. At least ACL injury treatment is better than it was in the past - a few of our guests had done theirs 15+ years ago when protocol was to stick you in a rigid plaster cast for 6 weeks. Apparently the leg shrink and physio after those 6 weeks was pretty grim as you can imagine. Thank heavens for bendy, removable braces!
Edit: Found this:
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His knee-friendly techniques were taught to ski patrollers and instructors at 20 ski areas for three years, and Mr. Ettlinger’s research group noted a 50 percent reduction in serious A.C.L. tears. |
Knee friendly falling technique apparently is to keep your hands forward, don't stick an arm back, and don't try and get up until you've stopped moving.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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miranda, Interesting about falling - my OH keeps telling me I must learn how to fall properly, not only with skis on, but without too, as I am so accident prone. But somehow I'm not very inclined to learn, as learning inevitably means I'll have to fall over, & whenever I fall, I seem to damage myself - 3 knee injuries, 4 dislocated shoulders & a couple of dislocated thumbs to date, not to mention the cuts & bruises I've sustained  The knee friendly fall technique you describe, would be a shoulder disaster one for me. He tells me to keep my elbows in, & keep low - but given that I'm only 5ft 2, I don't exactly have far to fall 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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genepi,
Actually this thinking about falling thing is interesting. I wasn't going to spend too much time thinking about the coulda, shoulda, wouldas because I just don't think it's particularly helpful to rake over something that's been and gone and there's nothing you can do about it - accidents happen and unless you were being knowingly reckless, then it's just bad luck. Actually in this instance I genuinely couldn't have thought about falling. But I've certainly done things like stood up again from a fall whilst still moving and things like that (though as I said I've not done that for a while - I think having seen it look a bit wrong when watching other people scrambling to do it).
Just found another of his tips: Don't (fully) straighten your legs when you fall. If your ultimate intent is to bail out by means of a controlled fall, knees should remain flexed until you have stopped sliding.
Hmm... quite a lot to think about in a very short amount of time... and now you've added 'elbows in' and 'keeping low' to the list too!
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I worry about injury from falls having previously had a very bad ankle break/dislocation. Like a previous poster I have a DIN setting considered too low if you go by standard charts (I preferred individual professional advice that considered me personally). In the various falls I have had, I don't think I've EVER had both skis come off - nearly every time both have remained attached and to me that suggests the setting is plenty high enough. On my last trip I managed to fall getting off a homeward bound chair as it came in at the bottom station - just as I was standing up it for some reason bumped, knocking me back onto the seat & I then stood up but didn't manage to get my balance and ungracefully slid into a heap. Neither ski detached and I twisted my thigh - luckily no knee injury, just a leg that hurt to twist for a week or so.
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genepi,
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that I'm only 5ft 2, I don't exactly have far to fall
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you have two inches on me - so even less to go. Gentle falling seems to be the way to go - but when it happens..... I don't think I have fallen this year (that seems a dangerous thing to say now) but I did lose an edge last week and my right leg shot up in the air in a way that I don't think I could do from a standing start - luckily it landed on the snow again. Watching this thread with interest.
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