Kicking Myself Right Now...

[KingM]

My nine year old son broke his leg today at Sugarbush and I feel terrible about it, especially since I bear more than a little responsibility for it.

He's been taking classes through the elementary school and had finally reached the point where he was able to take some real runs down a real lift and was so excited about it. After his school program ended, I met him and we took the Gatehouse Express up. I skied behind him through the first few turns of Pushover and was quite pleased with how much progress he'd make since I worked with him on the Poma five or six weeks ago. I started to ski ahead. When I ski with my wife, who is also learning, I ski ahead, wait, ski ahead, wait, etc., and I was instinctively doing the same.

The thing is, with the school, they follow the instructor in a big, snaking line down the mountain. He saw me zipping ahead and tried to keep up, even though we'd just hit the one steep part of the run. I came to my first stop and glanced back and realized what he was doing even as he lost control. His downhill ski twisted back away from him and didn't pop loose until the damage had been done. We spent the next couple hours taking him down the hill in a sled, getting x-rays, cast, etc. Thankfully, it wasn't a compound fracture, but what is called a fracture of the tibial spine. Still, bad enough. He was just getting going and now he's done for the season and hobbled for the next several weeks.

Geez, I feel bad. I know it was an accident, but two seconds of thought and a bit of advice before we started would have prevented it all. Poor kid, even as he's fighting back the pain, he kept saying, "I'm sorry, Dad."

 

[Lostone]

Hmmm... I might have seen him being set for the sled.

It was right center of the trail? I don't hang around things like that. Only makes people feel self-conscious

Can't really blame yourself, tho. We all drive our own skis. You can give him any instruction you want, but if you remember when you started, there is that thirst for speed, even before you can control it.

Actually, I don't think that really ends. The fear modifies it, and little kids don't get fear.

I hope for a good recovery, and that the fear doesn't put him off skiing.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Kicking Myself

Hey KingM. Kids can and will get hurt. In fact, you could have been hurt just as well. Unless you pushed him to try terrain he wasn't ready for, you are not to blame. I do disagree with one thing you did. I taught three kids to ski, one of whom began at age three. I NEVER skied ahead of them. I ALWAYS stayed above them. That way I was able to help them in the event of a fall. It also allowed me to deter crazies approaching them from behind. I used to follow my daughter down trails at Hunter Mt. (noted in those days for hormone/alcohol driven a--hole crazies careening out of control) with my poles sticking out sideways to give the morons some incentive to go wide or at least hit me first as they approached us.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

You can kick yourself, but please take the ski boots off first.

Really, don't beat yourself up too badly. Kids get hurt. It's part of growing up. Hopefully, this won't repel him from the sport.

 

[tjd]

Sorry to hear about the acciden KingM. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

The way I work it with the kids is I ski first, telling them we will be practicing turns and stops, etc...and then the 5YO or 7YO goes, then the other, and finally mom brings up the rear. This seems to work. Only problem I had was that my 5YO wanted to catch up with me every time...we finally solved that problem last time out...now he stays in line with the "snake" as we turn our way down the slopes.

Again - my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I'll be taking the family up the Bush next weekend. I think I know the section of Pushover you were talking about.

 

[Bumpsis]

KingM, I too wish your son speedy recovery.

I'm glad you posted your story because it gives me more stuff to think about as I'm trying to teach my 9 year old son to ski.

I will also adopt tirolerpeter's "wide pole" technique and staying above - I had my kid almost mowed down on couple of occassions by some really reckless boarders.

 

[KingM]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I've certainly learned some lessons from all of this. I only wish I'd learned them a couple of days earlier.