 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi everyone. I am AK amputee. Motor cycle accident in 1999. Am not especially active, but have taken up skiing. Had a bash at sit ski (too much hassle) and ski bike (BRILLIANT FUN!), but also trying my hand at 4 track stand up skiing. (Back in the day, I used to be a fairly good skier). The 4 track is going well, with one exception. As I shift my weight, from side to side (eg when turning), the end of my femur "crunches" across the muscles of my stump. This is at best a really unpleasant sensation, at worst, it hurts like hell. Since I think I have quite a lot of spare muscle on my stump, I am in conversation with a plastic surgeon, with a view to an operation, to "take up the slack". However, it occured to me that this stump crunch might be something that all AK skiers have to put up with. In which case, I'd be wasting my time by having another operation.
Are there any AK skiers out there who can advise me? Do you experience Stump Crunch, even if you have a neat stump?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
No experience so unable too help, but welcome to SH and keep persevering. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@Barrie1956, I'm a bit puzzled... You say that you're an AK amputee and that you are 4 tracking. So, 4 track would be 2 skis and 2 outriggers (leaving 4 tracks in the snow). If you are an AK amputee, does that mean that you are skiing using your prosthetic on your AK amputated leg?
Normally, an AK amputee would be 3 tracking - so, one ski and 2 outriggers. Of course, this is not compulsory! As with everything to do with adaptive skiing, anything goes so long as it works.
However, having skied with and talked to AK amputees the majority prefer to 3 track. Have you tried 3 tracking?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Hi SaraJ
What I forgot to mention was that my left ankle was pretty badly smashed up in the accident and, whilst I managed to keep it, (much against my orthopod's advice!!) the ankle is fused, but fairly painful in normal use and I wouldn't be happy putting all my weight on it. Damn it. It's pretty bl**dy hard to even get the thing into a ski boot. Hence why I'm 4 tracking.
B
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Hmm... That's tricky!
Are you sure that sit skiing was too much hassle? 
What was your experience with sit skiing? Did you monoski? Where did you do it?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Sit ski was definitely too much hassle. I only ever tried it on the dry slope in Southampton (that's where my ski club - Solent Ski Club for Disabled - meets) and, while it was fun to do, on monoski especially, I hated the fact that it took so many people to attend to me. One to thether me, on the way down, though I might have graduated from tethering; two to get me onto the drag lift. I'm a bit too independent for all that. To be honest, that's why I got myself a ski bike. REALLY good fun and dead easy to do. The main snag is that the Italian authorities do not allow ski bikes at the resort we go to every year. (Don't ask. They just don't. And my italian is pretty good). So that's why I decided to give stand up skiing a go and eventually found my way to using outriggers. And I really like the fact that I am back to nearly normal skiing. If I could just overcome this "stump crunch" that I get, when I shift my weight. To be totally honest, I get the odd "ouch" in daily life, if I shift my weight, which is why I think the problem could be with my stump. But that's also why I want to hear from other AK amps, to see if they also get stump crunch. (If they all 3 track, then I'll never got to find out....)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The sit skiers that I know are pretty independent once they are in the sit ski, they only need help getting it and a wheelchair to the snow.
Plenty of ski bikes in the Espace Diamant if you fancy going somewhere else. Several SASA members have been there, including a 3 tracker that you may know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Before you give up on monoskiing I'd recommend that you try it on snow. It's a completely different feeling to on dry slope.
While I don't want to be negative about you wanting to ski standing up, I can't help thinking that with a damaged ankle that is painful to stand on and an AK amputation that sometimes hurts when you move, it's not an easy task that you've set yourself.
There is a lot of fun (and independence) to be had in a monoski.
There are AK amputees who ski with a "skiing" prosthetic. Apparently, the difficult part is making a knee joint that works in a similar way to a real knee. There are clever people working on it, but in the meantime the majority of AK amputees 3 track instead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
