My intended 3-day weekend at Mammoth ended at 9:45AM Saturday after all of 4,400 vertical feet.
The Sierra has not had much snow this spring, and Mammoth has responded by grooming much more than usual. Notably Upper Dry Creek and the Face of 5. The latter I've never seen groomed before and presumed it was due to premature spring conditions, but Adam said he first saw it groomed a month ago.
Mammoth has always had high quality grooming, and most of them had been tilled to a packed powder surface. The main groomer on Chair 5, Solitude had an exceptionally nice surface and was wider than normal, so even Becky commented that she skied it "about 20% faster than normal."
After fiddling with my boots at the top of 5, I unfortunately did likewise. I was probably doing about 40 when the guy on my left doing 30 decided to cut right. In the resulting collision I cracked 3 left ribs, and the resulting pain caused shallow and labored breathing. Ski patrol was on the scene quickly, and between the breathing and drained color from my face they took all precautions. I was loaded onto the meat wagon with an oxygen bottle, collar and backboard, then met by ambulance for the ride to Mammoth hospital.
My breathing returned to normal once they got some painkillers in the IV, then I was sent for CAT scan and chest X-ray. The left lung had a slight deflation, so I was told to return this morning for another chest X-ray. Since the deflation was a bit worse this morning and my oxygen in the blood was 82% (they want a minimum of 90%), I was told that I had to be on oxygen if we remained at Mammoth, but it would be better to descend, using portable oxygen bottles until that blood percentage went back up.
We were sent to a med supply shop in Bishop to exchange oxygen bottles, but fortunately I was up to 95% in Bishop (4,000 feet vs. 8,000 at Mammoth) and didn't need to continue the bottles. So I'm home and off to my own doctor tomorrow morning.
I'm told the high level of discomfort will last about 2 weeks, and will be noticeable at lesser levels for about 6 weeks. That would be Memorial Day, likely closing weekend for Mammoth.
The Sierra has not had much snow this spring, and Mammoth has responded by grooming much more than usual. Notably Upper Dry Creek and the Face of 5. The latter I've never seen groomed before and presumed it was due to premature spring conditions, but Adam said he first saw it groomed a month ago.
Mammoth has always had high quality grooming, and most of them had been tilled to a packed powder surface. The main groomer on Chair 5, Solitude had an exceptionally nice surface and was wider than normal, so even Becky commented that she skied it "about 20% faster than normal."
After fiddling with my boots at the top of 5, I unfortunately did likewise. I was probably doing about 40 when the guy on my left doing 30 decided to cut right. In the resulting collision I cracked 3 left ribs, and the resulting pain caused shallow and labored breathing. Ski patrol was on the scene quickly, and between the breathing and drained color from my face they took all precautions. I was loaded onto the meat wagon with an oxygen bottle, collar and backboard, then met by ambulance for the ride to Mammoth hospital.
My breathing returned to normal once they got some painkillers in the IV, then I was sent for CAT scan and chest X-ray. The left lung had a slight deflation, so I was told to return this morning for another chest X-ray. Since the deflation was a bit worse this morning and my oxygen in the blood was 82% (they want a minimum of 90%), I was told that I had to be on oxygen if we remained at Mammoth, but it would be better to descend, using portable oxygen bottles until that blood percentage went back up.
We were sent to a med supply shop in Bishop to exchange oxygen bottles, but fortunately I was up to 95% in Bishop (4,000 feet vs. 8,000 at Mammoth) and didn't need to continue the bottles. So I'm home and off to my own doctor tomorrow morning.
I'm told the high level of discomfort will last about 2 weeks, and will be noticeable at lesser levels for about 6 weeks. That would be Memorial Day, likely closing weekend for Mammoth.
