What's weighing on me at this point is the rash of serious ski injuries to people I know over the past two seasons, three of them in 2021-22 and four in spring 2022-23. Most of them fall into category of $#!t happens. Garry Klassen had a collision injury (tibia plateau fracture, torn thumb ligament) on May 4 on the same run (Solitude at Mammoth) that I had the broken rib/lung puncture collision in April 2008. However I believe the recovery process is more drawn out in retirement years than for younger people.
So far tseeb and I seem to be in the "aging" gracefully group. I've mentioned before that my Iron Blosam peers have either had to quit skiing or are strictly skiing blue groomers.
The one contemporary who combines tseeb's fitness with elite level skills derived from high school/college ski racing (like Patrick and EMSC) is Lonnie, who is one year younger than me. He had a twisting fall in the trees March 3, 2021 that broke his lower tibia and required some metal hardware. He returned to skiing in December with full recovery of both fitness and ski technique from what I could tell, and had 3 more road trip seasons of skiing nearly every day for 3 months.
The next injury March 31, 2023 can be tactfully described at this point as career threatening. As an ex racer he felt comfortable skiing 50mph, but he hit a roller, lost balance and fell, shattering his upper femur. I've never been a speed guy, but this tells me that at age 70 I should approach terrain that I listed on page 2 with extreme caution/skepticism.
Andrew McLean, who should know as well as anyone, compiled
this scale to rate difficulty of steep ski terrain:
Steepness Ratings 0-7 with +/- qualifiers
S0 Flat terrain. A golf course.
S1 Low angle - possibly poling in places.
S1+ Beginning terrain at a ski area. Safe run outs.
S2 25 degrees slopes. “Intermediate” terrain at a ski area.
S2+ Slopes at or near 25 degrees with some terrain features
S3- Slopes up to 30 degrees.
S3 Slopes up to 35 degrees. “Expert” runs at ski areas.
S3+ Slopes at or near 35 degrees with terrain features that require maneuvering
S4- Slopes 35-45 degrees with safe run outs and little to no terrain features
S4 Slopes 35-45 degrees with dangerous fall potential and terrain obstacles
S4+ Slopes just under 45 degrees that are continuous, have fall consequences and terrain obstacles
S5- Slopes that are continuously at or near 45 degrees or slightly over
S5 Slopes between 45-55 degrees. Falling est verboten.
S5+ Slopes at or around 55 degrees. You’d be lucky to live through a fall.
S6- Short sections that are steeper then 55 degrees, yet continuously above 50 degrees.
S6 Slopes continuously steeper than 55 degrees. Slow death from falling highly likely.
S6+ 55ish degree slopes with major obstacles - cliffs, trees, crevasses
S7 60 degree slopes. Just plain ol’ steep as hell.
S7+ 60 degree slopes with nasty obstacles. A quick and certain death if you fall.
S8 The future. Scary.
Little Chute and Big Couloir are probably 5-. The super long and steep lines I skied at La Grave and Las Lenas are 4+. I'm probably done with those, but still comfortable with 4- and will consider 4's with great snow conditions. I think McLean would rate something like Hangman's a 4 because the 45+ degree exposed section is quite short and can be sidestepped if necessary. The "fun part" of steep skiing to me now is mostly in the 30-35 degree range.
Lonnie's recovery process from surgeries April 1 and April 18 is much slower than Liz's from surgeries May 24 and July 5. Both of Lonnie's injuries were at Taos, and in both cases there were serious medical errors in diagnosis or treatment. If you have a ski accident in New Mexico, move heaven and earth to get home to a doctor you trust.
