skiing... part 2 ("Ski Patrol")

So less than a week later, we headed back up there to hit the slopes. (and I do mean "hit") I was encouraged by my end-of-day successes last time. So we get our boots, skis & poles and head to the start of the bunny slope to put them on. Left toes in, check, left heel, check. Right toes, fall. Wait a minute, who wrote this script? This isn't what I read in the test-screening. Overall, no big deal, we started skiing.

So to get the feel back, we started down the GENTLY sloping field they call the bunny slope. Two runs down it & I was feeling in good enough form to move up to the Beginner slope. First half went fine, I was working on going from fast to slow and back again. Fine, fine. THEN I went to turn right & started to fall. Whoops, so I planted my right ski pole in the snow ahead & to the right. That placement WOULD'VE been fine... except that's right where I was falling. The handle-side of the pole went up under my ski goggles and glasses & pretty much did a number on my right eye (the already-injured one). There were no mirrors around, so I couldn't know that I was gushing blood like Old Faithful. All I could feel was INTENSE pain.

My folks were right behind me, and many kind folks asked what they could do as I lay there writhing around. What they did was get Ski Patrol. Thanks! (And while Ski Patrol Steph was laboring over my face, her lips were so close to mine & she was so cute... the "This magic moment, when your lips are close to mine..." song from the pool scene of The Sandlot kept playing through my mind... but I needed help, no time for kissy-kissy) So THAT'S what it's like to take a ride down in one of their sleds. At the Ski Patrol headquarters, the cuts got mopped up a bit, and they recommended an eye doc nearby & an Urgent Care center for a tetanus shot. (where I don't think they know the definition of "urgent")

So we went to the eye doc, who already knew we were on the way. I gotta tell ya, it's not real inspiring to hear him mutter as he examines your eye "I don't know if that's a new or old injury", since that eye already has severe damage from the wreck.

Overall, we think now it was just skin cuts. The bone structure around the eye kept the pole from going IN or THROUGH the eye-- whew. And it may be because I've been mostly keeping ice on it, but no pain since the initial kill-me-now pangs.

So I'm thinking Prone might make a good new nickname, short for accident-prone. And if anybody remarks about my black eye, I'll just say "This ain't nothin' compared to what I did to the other guy."