Ski pole impalement injuries

Nick · Aug 21, 2014

Does this ever happen? I was watching a wipeout video of madmadworld and while he's rocketing down the hill I see his pole bouncing in the edge of the frame and all I can imagine is how painful it would be to be stabbed by that thing by connecting to it the wrong way.

This ever happened to anyone? I guess at least the basket would prevent it from going in more than 2 or 3" :snow:

Highway Star · Aug 21, 2014

Nick, I see that you post lots of interesting new threads. Where do you get all these ideas? You must be very creative.

No, in many, many years of skiing, I've never seen anyone impaled by a pole, except, in the privacy of my own ski house.

Tin · Aug 21, 2014

Ski Pole Jousting Contest!!!

Sponsored by p90x!

MadMadWorld · Aug 21, 2014

I think it would take a lot of force to penetrate a jacket and layers. I think blunt trauma is more likely. I've taken hard shots to my ribs that have knocked the wind out of myself a few times while tree skiing. So in a hard fall I think broken ribs are very possible.

from_the_NEK · Aug 21, 2014

I've almost smashed my face on a planted pole. Does that count?

skiNEwhere · Aug 21, 2014

About 10 years ago I was messing around in the half pipe, and I over rotated or something, and accidentally put my pole in front of me. When I landed the rubber top part of the pole jammed into my stomach.

It did not feel very good, I felt like I was gonna throw up for the next 10 minutes.

Whitey · Aug 21, 2014

Ugh, you had to ask this question - be careful what you ask for, you may not like the answer.

A college buddy of mine moved out west after college & was ski bumming it. I forget where, I think it was CO. He was a good skier and hit it pretty hard. He was skiing fast & hard one day and ate it. Full rag doll/cartwheel. With what could only be described as a "one in a million" type scenario, as he cart wheeled one of his poles got below him and as he came over the end of the pole got caught between him and the slope. Not that bad, right? Wrong! Where the working end of the pole caught him was right at/on his a$$hole. The end of the pole tore thru his pants and then, I guess there is no other way to say this - tore him a new A-hole.

Needless to say he ended up in the hospital with many stitches and surgeries. No joke - he survived it but it messed him up pretty good for a couple of weeks afterward as he recovered and had to cr@p thru a tube. . .

skiNEwhere · Aug 21, 2014

That is awful....... De he recover to ski again, assuming he even wanted to?

Hawkshot99 · Aug 21, 2014

Never stabbed...but when hitting a jump my pole came down in front of my body. Tip went In the ground and the handle to my stomach. Bent the pole to a 90 degree angle.

Nick · Aug 21, 2014

Tin said:
Ski Pole Jousting Contest!!!

Sponsored by p90x!

:lol:

Mapnut · Aug 22, 2014

from_the_NEK said:
I've almost smashed my face on a planted pole. Does that count?

I actually accomplished this, quite a gaperish move, trying to stop on a steep pitch. The pole stopped abruptly while my face continued downhill, gave myself quite a jolt to the left cheekbone.

bigbog · Aug 22, 2014

Never been injured...but have left a pole behind on a few occasions = don't think I had my hand thru strap with hard crust over soft pow:roll:

skiNEwhere · Aug 22, 2014

Still missing one of my poles from that tumble at breck

MadMadWorld · Aug 22, 2014

skiNEwhere said:
Still missing one of my poles from that tumble at breck

I smell a thread!

skiNEwhere · Aug 22, 2014

MadMadWorld said:
I smell a thread!

You should make one. I don't remember the last time you started one (hint hint)

jimk · Aug 22, 2014

Ski pole impalement does happen. Famous accident of this type I remember is actor Clint Walker back in '70s. Got him right in the heart! Fortunately he survived.
Epicski thread on the subject with pictures:grin: : http://www.epicski.com/t/112762/how-common-are-ski-pole-stabbing-injuries

SkiFanE · Aug 22, 2014

A friend of ours from college went skiing, a little bit on the toasted side, huge wipeout, rammed his pole into his abdomen. Stopped skiing, but stayed at mountain, kept drinking...then later went to ER and found out he injured his spleen. He then had a stroke, dropped out of college and was never the same. Very sad.

Vortex · Aug 22, 2014

I was leaving a mountain when I was about 8 and turned around and got a ski pole in the the mouth and cracked a tooth. Have had it capped a couple of times. The ski pole carrying technique would belong in the gapper thread.

MadMadWorld · Aug 22, 2014

Wow this is a lot worse than I thought!

MadMadWorld · Aug 22, 2014

skiNEwhere said:
Now if Rivercoil could come back as well, he was a major contributor too

Skied with him at the end of last season so he's still around.

Ski pole impalement injuries

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