Return to Crystal Mountain

I had another fall.

Try as i might, i can't remember that first one from a few weeks ago.  However, Brett (who just happened to be our instructor again this time around) seemed to remember quite clearly, because he said that i fell exactly the same way:

I was heading down a green slope, trying to get the hang of parallel turns.  I turned left (i'm having a lot of trouble with this, just like Derek Zoolander) and my left ski dug into the snow the wrong way, holding the bottom half of my body back while the top continued to move forward and then down, slamming the back of my head into the hard snow at full speed.

(My neck muscles can attest to the speed... as they hurt at least as much as they did when i had the first fall.)

The crucial difference?  I suffered no amnesia... probably because i wore a helmet.

After my unfortunate accident a few weeks ago, i made absolutely sure that i protected my noggin this time and bought this helmet online.  El Cheapo of course did not like the expense, but for the sake of protecting his most valuable asset, he just had to live with it.  It is perhaps the best $70 that i've ever spent, much cheaper than the $900+ spent on just the ambulance ride the last time (i'm hoping my insurance absorbs most of that)!  Although the main reason i didn't spring for it originally was not so much the expense, as just the perception that it would be too warm to keep on my head the whole time.  To my surprise, it actually is not too warm, and anyway: what's a little discomfort when weighed against all the possible bad things that could happen to an unprotected skull?

I wasn't really excited about the headgear at the beginning of the day.  

Post-fall, i was so happy to have the helmet save my brain that i started making gang signs.

So instead of spending the rest of the day in a hospital and the rest of the week in doctors' offices, i actually got to enjoy this ski trip!  We have no pictures of actual skiing because neither of us is good enough to ski with a camera in hand.

Going up the Crystal Clipper.

Enjoying the view.

Me and my lovely bride. 

I'll have to buy a new helmet for the next outing, as the force of the impact broke the adjustment straps on the inside and i can't wear it snugly anymore.

This is what the intact strap should look like.  It extends from the rear adjustment dial to the midpart of the helmet.

My straps were ripped apart near the insertion points on both sides.
I don't think they're supposed to that (at least not easily), which speaks to the force of the impact.

(Alternately, i could just get better at skiing and not fall as much.  But i doubt that it'll happen anytime soon.)

In related news, Adrian is progressing quite nicely with his skiing lessons.  He is now able to go down a blue - blue! - run, albeit with an instructor.  That's more than Gianina and i can lay claim to.  Soon he'll be skiing rings around us.

Happy to be skiing.

Here's a short video of him skiing down a bunny slope.  He actually looked much better skiing down a real run (we spotted him with an instructor while we were on a lift).