Trying to hang on to advanced skiing

Hips and Knees....Changing out the parts

Down but not out at Powder Mountain

No one likes a whiner. “It’s too cold, the snow is too heavy, my knee/foot/hip hurts, its too icy, too many moguls, too many people, I’m tired, I’m sore”….Bla, Bla Bla.

However, I am getting older (67 in May 2023) and I don’t ski like I used to. I’m not looking for sympathy (well, maybe a little) but perhaps it would be helpful to me and others if I talk this through. No one lives forever and no one can ski 45 degrees in gnarly snow when they are 95, so here I am talking it through.

Decades ago I raced a small sailboat called a Laser, a one man boat, Olympic class. Very physical. I reached a level that was pretty good, just below the top few local guys- nothing too special really. The boat has a shallow cockpit so it is like sitting on a park bench that is too low to the ground. When you move from side to side in the boat and twist on the balls of your feet it puts stress on your knees. At one regatta it was too much stress and I tore or strained something. At the end of the day I crawled out of the boat. My right knee has never been the same. Ten years later it was scoped to “clean things up”. Then decades later it finally caught up my with skiing. An expensive custom kneee brace bought me another year or two but finally I could not ski anymore. That last run is burned into my memory on an intermediate groomer at Red Mountain in Canada with my son. When my right knee was the inside edge of the turn the pain was so great my eyes teared up. I was done skiing.

The orthopedic surgeon turned me away a few years before, saying I was too early. Essentially, “come back when the pain is so great you can’t take it anymore”. After that last run at Red Mountain I returned and he agreed to give me a new right knee. The ortho team suggested I was done skiing black diamonds, I should stick to intermediate groomers. My response was, “what is the point of that?” I’m fine giving up moguls and jumps but I have continued to ski steep and deep terrain after the knee replacement. Certainly not as fast and as fearless as before, but still out there making turns. I am truly grateful we live in this age where joints can be replaced and many more years of active sports can be enjoyed.

Two years ago my groin muscles started to give out, they really flared up after some great late season powder skiing at Red Lodge. My first solution attempt was to hire a personal trainer. It just got worse. Then physical therapy for well over a year which helped somewhat but the pain never went away. I even had occasional stabbing pain doing pretty simple movements. So I went to my general practice doc. He took an X-Ray, said “all is good”. All was not good so I called the orthopedic doctor again. This time the wait time for a consult and possible hip replacement was ridiculous, about 6 months.

Another friend who is a gonzo work out guy suggested checking out Mayo Sports Medicine. I did so and was able to get a consult appointment much faster. They took an X-Ray as well and thought it was inconclusive. So we went to phase 2 which was an MRI. The result of the MRI… “Oh yes Mr. Colesworthy, you have moderate to severe arthritis in your hip. The groin pain you have been experiencing is a referred pain from the hip!” They recommended a cortisone injection. Not a solution but could perhaps buy me a bit more time before needing a hip replacement. I said ok and Dr Feel Good shot up my hip. It was noticeably better almost immediately but still not normal. I decided to keep moving forward with skiing plans and tried to continue physical therapy leading up to the trip.

Unfortunately I joined the COVID club in early December which knocked me off the workout train for several weeks. So with just a few lame PT workouts I headed out to Salt Lake with great snow in the forecast.

My previous post chronicled the first few days of that ski trip. Every day I woke up early to stretch for an hour prior to skiing which helped in that I could now move but the skiing results were sketchy at best. Getting in and out of my elevated pickup truck even continued to be challenging for a week after returning.

A week went by after the and I went to a skiing friends house with Charlie (ski buddy from the Salt Lake trip) to have dinner. After twice spilling beverages on their floor and struggling to get down on hands and knees to mop up the mess I decided the next day to throw in the towel on the rest of the ski season and move to get hip replacement surgery ASAP. This would hopefully ensure summer activities can continue and I can get back to skiing next season. (I do sense the left knee is starting to go so likely my body parts will continue to be replaced.)

Coincidently, that “skiing friend” has had both knees and both hips replaced. He continues to be a huge Nordic and Alpine skier as well as a pretty big time biker. He suggested I check out his surgeon. My previous surgeon continues to be 6 months out so I was very fortune to pick up a last minute consultation with his Orthopedic Surgeon.

The consultation was as another stroke of good luck. I expected some resistance since I can still walk pretty much without a limp. The waiting room was filled with “old people” using crutches and walkers. I was fearful of getting a lecture about how lucky I was and perhaps to be told to come back when the pain is unbearable.

Instead he engaged me a casual conversation about my activities. In addition to skiing, I told him about sailboat racing and the club I belong to. His response was, “oh you guys are trouble makers with loud parties”. My mind raced, we are not trouble makers. Our yacht club challenge is that we have too many older sailors like me. We need more youthful trouble makers.

Then he smiled. Turns out he recently bought a house pretty much across the street from the yacht club and wants to get into the sailing game. In addition, he is an avid Alpine skier that frequents Deer Valley in Utah. When the conversation finally turned to brass tacks he said, “I understand, you are active and want to stay active. I can replace your hip and keep you in the game.” (Or words to that effect.)

Then the question of when he could do the surgery. I knew he was a top guy in Minneapolis so I was afraid the time frame would jeopardize summer activities. His response with a smile, “we can get it done in a couple weeks”. This is a minor miracle which his scheduler confirmed. I will report back on the surgery, recovery and sailing/skiing with my second new body part. I can tell you this doctor will be getting free private lessons from me on how to race an MC Scow.

I understand that my problem of joints wearing out are nothing compared with real problems of many others in the world. Poverty, war, discrimination….

The real challenge for me is to make a positive difference for those having real problems. Of course that is another subject. Perhaps a different blog….