Not the best trip

A snowHead

So we arrived in Pila last Sunday & the skiing has been absolutely brilliant, except for the lack of new snow for a while. Pistes have been maintained amazingly & it was a joyous trip.

Then the worst has happened - I took an unexpected nasty fall on run 14 late on Thursday morning. My favourite run this week, quiet, wide and undulating. Caught an edge, tried to recover, crossed skis & fell very heavily getting my skis trapped behind me when I tried to spin around to get an edge in to stop the spinning down the slope.

The worst bit - I was basically screaming in pain, skis trapped behind me, waving furiously, calling out help & at least 3 people skied right past & did not stop. Hubby was a little further down so took a few secs to realise so had to run back up the steepest part of the slope to get back to me. Luckily two wonderful Italian men stopped & assisted and I was eventually skidoo’d/helicoptered down to Aosta.

The result - I have a fracture of the anterior pillar of the left acetabulum (hip/pelvis joint). A very rare injury normally experienced in car crashes. And yes it hurts like nothing I’ve experienced before. So holed up in the hotel, unable to do a thing & getting flown back to hospital in the UK at some point next week. My insurance company, Insure & Go, are being incredible.

If I can say there’s one point to this story - & I’m sure you’re all decent sorts - please, please never ski on by someone in need. The fact that several did has left me in total disbelief & incredibly upset.

A snowHead

@Chuckles3, gosh. Really hope you are back on your feet soon. Glad insure and go are supporting you well. That is really bad about skiing on ignoring your calls

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Oh no, that's awful. Hope you're on the road to mending soon. Horrible that people didn't help.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

That sounds awful. Hope you heal fully and quickly.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Get well soon

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Chuckles3,
That sounds horrendous, just hope you make a good recovery and best wishes.

After all it is free

@Chuckles3,
I'm impressed that I & G are so supportive - several years ago a rep colleague in Italy had tremendous difficulty getting them to react to a (natural causes) death in resort - if I remember correctly, she ended up getting the Consulate to deliver a kicking. Between that event and one or two other lesser claims they were near the top of my "cheep and nasty" list, but things are looking up for them.
In an ideal world your "please never ski on by someone in need" would be covered by "do for others as you would have them do for you", but there's an awful lot of nasty sheets out there - as you found out. Get well soon!

@Chuckles3, yikes! very pleased to hear you are being well cared for. Hope it's a smooth and swift recovery and happily back on the snow next season. snowHead

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@Chuckles3, very very nasty. Glad everything has swung into gear.

My experience is that people most frequently drop everything to help on the piste - I think your experience is unusual and of course very upsetting.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

oh dear @Chuckles3, what a very sad story. Just hang on to the fact that "two wonderful Italian men" were there to help. We don't know the personal circumstances of the folk who skied past. Perhaps rushing to pick up a child from ski school, or if not rushing, maybe Russian.......

You know it makes sense.

@Chuckles3, while a few skied past, there are dozens here from all over the world pulling for you including me.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

@Scooter in Seattle, so well put, words I will echo

A snowHead

Don't decide anything too soon about the osteoporosis threat, @Chuckles3. It might not happen, and it might happen very slowly. It's probably hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel now, but after the awful few days you've had, things will start to get better.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Chuckles3, are you going onto letrozole? Mrsthecramps has been on that for a few years now, and her bone density is still fine, so there is no need to just stop if you don't want to, and remember, osteoporosis is only a possible side effect, so you may not be affected at all. We aim to keep skiing while we can, then move to cross country skiing.
Sorry about the injury and the ignorant skiers. Hope the journey home is a comfortable one and you are glued back together soon.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@pam w, Absolutely. I think at the moment the shock & trauma of the accident is taking over all reason & accountability in relation to my skiing career. I guess I’ll need to see how my recovery goes anyway. It’ll be a sad day if I have to give it up as I was skiing better than I ever have this past week rolling eyes

@thecramps, Currently on tamoxifen but being of a certain age now, moving across to an AI following my forthcoming review in the next month or so. Not sure which one yet. I’m guessing it’ll all be on hold a little now anyway until I get the hip sorted before doing my initial bone density scans & changing the pills. I was diagnosed Feb 21 so it’s fair to say the last 12 months haven’t been the best. You’ve just got to crack on with it though - I’m sure Mrsthecramps has felt the same. Good to hear she’s doing so well, the tablets of joy we have to take aren’t the greatest but are potential life savers.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Chuckles3, You sound very stoic, not easy in the circumstances. "Just cracking on with it" is very much something mrsthecramps has said. She was back at work a stupidly short amount of time after her mastectomy, and then during chemo. She was on tamoxifen for about 18months to 2 years before they moved her to letrozole. Though she was in her 40's, chemo brought forward menopause. But, as I said, bone density wise, she has coped well with letrozole, though she does say that sometimes she thinks it affects her concentration and she feels a little "fuddled" (her word), but also she's not sure that's because of letrozole or passing five-O.
Hopefully you'll be in some way mobile by the time of your review and won't need to postpone it, I know how precious appointments are these days. Is MrChuckles3 doing ok?

You'll need to Register first of course.

@thecramps, I was lucky, my BC was caught really early following a routine mamm so I was only Stage 2 & the tests said I didn’t need chemo. A good friend was diagnosed a few weeks later & had chemo so I was able to go through her journey with her so know exactly what a ride Mrsthecramps must have had. My friend was 39 when diagnosed so she’s on a similar route as your good lady too. My meno is good old fashioned age related but they wanted to wait 12 months just to be doubly sure before prescribing an AI.

Cracking on with it is what we have to do. We aren’t warriors or fighters in a battle. We didn’t choose to get cancer, we just have to deal with it. I consider myself to be exceptionally lucky it was caught early & I have a fantastic surgeon & oncologist - thank goodness for the NHS.

It’s fair to say MrChuckles3 has been through a lot these past couple of years supporting me through the loss of my beloved dad, then the BC & now this. I’m a retired police officer so prob always been a bit no nonsense with a stupidly tough exterior. Seeing me suffering so much on Thurs has knocked him a bit but he’s one of life’s really good souls. I’m very lucky all round

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Chuckles3, beers and hugs (or manly handshakes, whichever is appropriate) to you both from us both.

You do know that you will need to keep updating this thread now don't you? Going to be too many people wanting to know how your doing.

After all it is free

@Chuckles3, ooh, that is a nasty one. Hope you are pain free soon.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@thecramps, You can never go wrong with beers & hugs!

Fingers crossed I’ll know more later today.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Oh all the best.
I've got bloody covid (I know unfashionably late) and this omicrom thing is being a good deal less asymptomatic than I heard it was cracked up to be.
Now I know that I don't just have to be grateful I'm not in Ukraine!
Wishing you a brilliant recovery and some better drugs

snow reports

@jedster, same here and couldn't have put it better snowHead

@Chuckles3, just to add my voice to the well wishers. Sorry for what you’ve been through and I wish you a comfortable journey and a speedy recovery.

You know it makes sense.

Morning all. Just a quick update. It’s Weds morning, 6 days later & I'm still in Italy at the hotel.

The repatriation process is taking an age to sort (apparently this is the busiest ski season ever for medical repatriation) & now we have the issue the air ambulance want me to test to return but I’m immobile & cannot go to a pharmacy to do it.

I ended up raising a complaint with Cega yesterday evening due to what I see as unreasonable delays in getting this sorted - & they actually agree. Unusually for me, I had a bit of a melt down with them but went to sleep feeling better after my case manager got herself into top gear with trying to find solutions.

Hubby is going to go home commercial so he can take all the luggage so please all keep your fingers crossed they come up with a solution for me before I lose the will to live here.

So @Nemisis, you might be right after all about Insure & Go (well it’s Cega for med repat but that’s who they use. I even googled the consulate first thing & will not hesitate ringing them at lunchtime if I’m no further forward so thanks for the tip on that.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Crikey, we were there and skiing 14 nearly all the time. No excuse for not stopping for someone obviously in pain.
3 helicopter removals during the week which is very unusual and we do know of another taken by body bag.

Yes the runs did have snow but the worst we have seen in 15 years of going there. Typical it started snowing when we were leaving.

We did not ski as much as we would normally do as the Ice under the snow was horrible to ski on.

There is the telephone number for Ski Patrol on the Piste map too - though no good for the fallen person in huge pain. Hope you get better quickly - though it will be a long recovery.

A snowHead

@Jake43, We didn’t find the pistes any worse than previous years to be honest & they were as good as they were in late Jan. They did seem to get faster & faster as the week went on though & the icy patches def became more noticeable. I Loved doing the long loop down 14 then back up Leisse with almost no one on it. Couis 2 was too icy for me so it was nice to do 14 as it started to soften up.

Out of interest, Which accommodation did you use?

A snowHead

We always stay at Della Nouva right on the village run.
It was like bambi on ice watching us go down to the village lift first time. Crikey.

13 & 14 were the only ones we really skied all week as when we tried others they were worse. Not like random ice patches. This also meant we used the hotel for everything as our favourite stops Soceite & Chatelaine did not have sensible ski outs.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Jake43, Our solution this week was first lift at Chamole (stayed at Etoile de Neige) so we could bomb around runs off La Nouva a few times before the ski schools came out. Then laps of 13, up to Grimod for an hour just enjoying a rest on the slow lift, then laps of 14. The flat road road to Couis 1 from La Nouva was very icy but run 7 back is a lovely, empty gem to do. Blue 5 is always avoided as soon as it’s been skied out by others - prob the worst one. I’ve had good reports of the Della Nouva from friends.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@Chuckles3, your current situation sounds very hard and I'm not a bit surprised you had a meltdown, even if (like me) that's not your usual style. Please keep us in touch with what's happening - fingers crossed for much better news soon. You must be thinking longingly of home. Somebody must surely be able to organise a test for you in your hotel room.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@pam w, Thanks for your support. It’s much appreciated. The hotel have bog standard lat flows but the air ambulance company usually insist on supervised antigen. I have suggested a lat flow plus my recovery cert from last month as a compromise. Just waiting to see what they say. It’s peeing me off a bit as there’s no test to return any more. I’m not sure what they expect. I’m completely helpless, not allowed to sit up, and just about hobble to the loo on crutches with assistance & they want me to go down to Aosta to test. It’s completely ridiculous.

You'll need to Register first of course.

The hours must pass very slowly. How is your pain now? Can you get a decent cup of tea? Or is that a silly question?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@pam w, I. Having a bad day with pain today. I’m already getting sores on my elbows & heels rolling eyes

Hubby is getting me everything I need but he’s n@ckered looking after me. The hotel are being amazing. I run out of my anti thrombosis injections today & they took it upon themselves to sort a new prescription for me last night & will collect it for me.

After all it is free

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

All the best @Chuckles3, including continuing to beat the C. Wishing you a full recovery.

There’s something about this calendar year in The Alps - a long drought of no real snow and mild temperatures at times giving thaw-freeze, resulting in the dreaded ice. A friend, in her 40’s and not heavy/unfit, broke her hip falling on ice in the Sestriere area in early February.

Help!!

Not the best trip

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste