 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I was hoping for some advice here.
I was 21 and I had a skiing accident in January 2020. My injuries were all to my lower left leg and included: a shattered left tibia and fibula, torn popliteal artery, damaged common peroneal nerve (which has caused minor foot drop) and partial removal of my medial gastrocnemius (calf muscle). I am looking at returning to skiing either this winter season or next winter season, however I am unable to get my foot into my ski boot, and I am unable to do small muscle movements in my left foot. My knee is also extremely weak as my ligaments were buttoned back to the femoral head to re-attach. Due to my age, my recovery has been going well and I have building strength back up in my leg and knee, however we (the surgeons and doctors) are unsure how much of my nerve will recover. I want to be able to ski again, even if its not to the same level I used to do, but I've been struggling trying to picture myself on the slopes as I cannot even get a ski boot on.
Does anyone have any advice on how to put on my ski boot? Should I wear a knee brace to protect my ligaments, if so can you recommend some please? Also, how will a weakened calf muscle and foot drop affect my skiing ability? I would appreciate any tips from you as I would love to get back on the slopes and ski again.
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi there and welcome to the  family.
I'm sorry to hear about your serious sounding injuries. I'm also not sure we are in a position to give meaningful advice. Maybe your best hope is to see a Physio or Doctor who is a skier and thus is in a position to give practical advice.
Before you book a holiday, I think you would first need to try yourself out in a Snow Dome.
If you do manage to get on Holiday - I would recommend getting a sympathetic Instructor, as your confidence could be shattered, possibly leaving you tentative and nervous. They would also be there to help you adapt your skiing, if it is affected by your injury.
Leg Braces are not a magic fix and are often more of a confidence boost....but if you do go this route - take advice and you will likely need one of those expensive, fitted braces.
Good luck with it all - and let us know how you go.
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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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@scarlettmiles, Wow! that is a terrible list of injuries. I think you have done well to walk again. Recovery will take some time.
Just before my 21st birthday I had the misfortune to fall off the high bar and break my back. After a year or so I had recovered fairly well with the exception of the loss of my left calf muscle. I still cannot stand on tiptoe or stand on that leg alone or jump over a matchbox.
However, I can ski by relying a lot on the ski boots and making sure they the cuff of the boot fits snugly. that is getting a very narrow ankle boot. Yes, I have problems getting the boot on and sometimes I need help forcing the boot open. One tip I do have is to make sure the boot is warm and supple before even trying.
Oh, I also ruptured a cruciate ligament and wore knee braces for a while. Now because of osteoarthritis I use a ski mojo which helps a lot in taking the load off my knees. If you have weak legs (can you do squats?) then a Skimojo may help.
So, I can get out on the mountain and ski the whole mountain including some big mogul fields and though I still race on the dryslope I will never win any races. Next season I'm planning 30 days on the snow.
Don't give up hope. Keep doing the conditioning on the legs. Skiing is actually quite easy; to me much easier than walking. A visit to a specialist boot fitter may find boots that are easier to fit and give the support to the weak calf muscle.
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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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Hi there and welcome to the snowHead family.
I'm sorry to hear about your serious sounding injuries. I'm also not sure we are in a position to give meaningful advice. Maybe your best hope is to see a Physio or Doctor who is a skier and thus is in a position to give practical advice.
Before you book a holiday, I think you would first need to try yourself out in a Snow Dome.
If you do manage to get on Holiday - I would recommend getting a sympathetic Instructor, as your confidence could be shattered, possibly leaving you tentative and nervous. They would also be there to help you adapt your skiing, if it is affected by your injury.
Leg Braces are not a magic fix and are often more of a confidence boost....but if you do go this route - take advice and you will likely need one of those expensive, fitted braces.
Good luck with it all - and let us know how you go.
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Thank you so much for replying @Old Fartbag, I haven't been able to find a doctor with skiing experience, but trying a Snow Dome is a great idea and I'll definitely give it a try  I am concerned about my confidence, although I have suffered no PTSD from the accident (I remained conscious the whole crash and can recall exactly what happened), I have not been in the same environment so I have no idea how I'll actually react when on snow again. A sympathetic instructor is probably a must so I'll look into finding one, especially who can adapt my skiing for the injury. Do you know of anywhere I can get a fitted brace? Most that I can find are generic? Again, many thanks for all the advice and I'll definitely post when I can get back on the slopes 
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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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Wow! that is a terrible list of injuries. I think you have done well to walk again. Recovery will take some time.
Just before my 21st birthday I had the misfortune to fall off the high bar and break my back. After a year or so I had recovered fairly well with the exception of the loss of my left calf muscle. I still cannot stand on tiptoe or stand on that leg alone or jump over a matchbox.
However, I can ski by relying a lot on the ski boots and making sure they the cuff of the boot fits snugly. that is getting a very narrow ankle boot. Yes, I have problems getting the boot on and sometimes I need help forcing the boot open. One tip I do have is to make sure the boot is warm and supple before even trying.
Oh, I also ruptured a cruciate ligament and wore knee braces for a while. Now because of osteoarthritis I use a ski mojo which helps a lot in taking the load off my knees. If you have weak legs (can you do squats?) then a Skimojo may help.
So, I can get out on the mountain and ski the whole mountain including some big mogul fields and though I still race on the dryslope I will never win any races. Next season I'm planning 30 days on the snow.
Don't give up hope. Keep doing the conditioning on the legs. Skiing is actually quite easy; to me much easier than walking. A visit to a specialist boot fitter may find boots that are easier to fit and give the support to the weak calf muscle.
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Thank you for replying @johnE, it was a really bad accident that in my first surgery there was a more than 50% chance they would have to amputate above the knee, but the surgeons were amazing and were able to save most of my leg that sounds awful that you broke your back, but incredible that you have recovered so well! Likewise, I also cannot stand on tiptoe or stand on that leg alone, I haven't tried jumping yet as I'm a bit nervous to jar my leg when I land. I'll look onto buying some new boots that can support my ankle and leg well, and thank you for the tip about warming them up I had never heard of a Skimojo before, but after reading about it, it does sound excellent! I need to hold a bar or someone to do squats as due to the nerve damage, I have also lost sensation and propioception below the knee, but if I hold the bar I can return upright from a small squat. That's amazing that you can still do so much on the slopes, and thank you so much for the support, I'll let you know when I can get back on the slopes
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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One thing to consider might be to use a standing para-alpine skiing setup, just use a ski and boot on your good leg and outriggers for your arms. I know someone who does this, he had bone cancer in one tibia and doesn't have the bone strength now to put that leg in a ski boot.
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Where do you live? 3 ideas come to mind if you live in the south of the uk; 1. Hemel snow dome (indoor, real snow) has both DSUK and Snowbility working alongside them. Both have experience in helping anyone with physical or mental restrictions to get back on snow. 2. Beware rental boots, which are built to last not to flex. Don’t let the boot deter you. 3. Nordica make an excellent rear entry boot, contact the best boot fitter eg Solutions4Feet, Profeet, Bartletts etc. Good luck!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@scarlettmiles, yikes!
There are now a few high quality rear entry boots on the market, Nordica's HF was first, I think Atomic (at least) also offer them. Can be properly customised, high quality liners. A chum has fused ankles and needs that sort of design to get them on.
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Some great advice above - and I think Rear Entry Boots from an experienced Bootfitter eg. Those mentioned above - could very well prove to be the way to go.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hey, thank you all so much for the advice @johnE, @rjs, @Old Fartbag, @CathyAuLait, @under a new name, , I live in Surrey, England so Hemel Snow Center is under an hour away, I think I'll head there just to see how I get on with the snow and back on the slopes. The rear entry boot is something I have never heard before so I'll look into that as it sounds great alternative for getting my foot into a boot, it would also probably have to be customised as well as I cant wiggle my toes so as I try to slide my foot into shoes, my toes sort of crumple underneath the ball of my foot so I almost need something that keeps my toes flat as I put my foot into a boot I think (as a last resort) I'll try the para-alpine skiing setup as I would love to see if I can ski how I used to, but if that's an impossibility then I will try that as no matter what I would love to get back on the slopes If Jonathan Bell does see this, I would be really grateful if he could advise if my ligaments would even be strong enough to withstand the pressure of skiing or if he believes it would be too risky. I have a lot of metalwork in my leg and literal buttons that hold my ligaments in place, so I'm a little nervous in case my desire to get back on skis ruins the surgeons work  again, thank you all for replying with these great tips, so much of this was out of my knowledge and I had no idea stuff like this existed so I'm really grateful for all your help
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