My holiday in Courchevel 1550

Next installment:

My injuries

I was okay pretty much until Thursday. Thursday afternoon was spent with my nice French instructor and my 3 new friends learning to ski moguls. I was really hopeless at it. I don't know why but I was having a lot of difficulty turning my skis on top of the moguls in order to ski down the valleys. I could ski up and down the moguls in a straight line (if they were small enough) but I just couldn't get the foot twisting action to turn both skis parallel at the top of the mogul, say 45 degrees for example, and ski down the valley.

I could ski the 'canyons' (natural half-pipes) no problem, which is strange because as far as I can see one needs the same foot twisting action to go up one side of the canyon, twist and then go back down before going up the other side of the canyon.

And I could also ski the jumps in the boarder cross and the little ones in the forest tracks no problem.

I had a very annoying tendency to try climbing over the moguls one ski at a time, instead of keeping my skis parallel, and every time I tried doing this my very observant instructor would tell me off.

So, I spent the whole afternoon doing this, up and down moguls and going crash when I fell over. Eventually I got reasonably good at it.

Anyway, after my lesson I got back to my residence, took off my ski boots, and then my right foot started hurting - specifically my right big toe. I didn't pay much attention to it, and ate and drank and then I had a hot bath because I thought it would be a good idea to soak it. After this I gave my husband a quick ring to say hello, and then just after I'd said bye to him I found myself sitting collapsed on the kitchen floor - fainted :shock:

After that my toe was absolute agony, and I took some pain killers and put ice on it and lay in bed feeling awful. I didn't sleep very well but the next day I managed to get my boot on okay, so I thought I'd ski, and I had quite a difficult time because it was Friday, the powder day, and even though I told my critical morning instructor that I'd hurt my foot he still insisted on testing us and telling me off for not doing enough angling of my skis and leaning when carving.

I skied all Friday afternoon, and all Saturday, and managed to carry luggage round the place in order to get home - Eurostar 11 p.m. to 7-30 a.m. (slept on the floor in the buffet bar) and then our train home from 8-30 a.m. to 3 p.m.. And then yesterday I had to help my husband with a T.B. test with the cattle (I asked the vet to have a look at my foot as well!).

Today, I have been to casualty and I have a broken big toe which is now infected as well and the doctor stuck a huge needle in it 3 times to anaesthetize it and then drained out all the infection from under the nail. I also have antibiotics and pain killers.

So, ski-ing moguls seems to have broken my big toe :shock:

And I managed to ski for 2 days on a broken toe. Ski boots are obviously very good at acting like plaster casts and keeping breaks in position (my break isn't displaced or anything).

I will write the next installment about the actual pistes when I am feeling slightly better.

Thanks everyone for your comments - they are very much appreciated :D

Ally

Ally, I'm very sorry to hear that you broke your big toe. It is highly unlikely that skiing moguls in the way you have described is the cause.
Did you wear rental boots that fit you properly?

Hi Bandit,
Thanks for your concern. I'm pretty sure the boots did fit very well, because actually I had to take them back after the first day and get new ones. We were in such a hurry the first morning that I didn't notice that my right heel was lifting in the boot without lifting the boot/ski.

It must have either been actually ski-ing the moguls or falling over on them that broke my toe. I can't think what else it could have been. My foot was fine at lunch time when I skied down to my apartment for lunch and a rest. And I certainly didn't whack it before or after I put my boot back on - I'd have noticed that all right!

I think it is only a very minor break. I had it X-rayed and then afterwards I asked the radiologist (or whatever she was) if it was broken and she said the doctor would tell me. So I asked the doctor and he said something like 'Well, it's got a red dot on it but I'm not convinced and anyway it's not displaced so it doesn't matter', and I wondered what he meant. I asked the nurse and she said that the radiologists mark the breaks with a red dot to help the doctors, and she thought the radiologist was more reliable in this area than the doctor, and that it was broken.

My foot really hurts at the moment, but that's because the doctor stuck all those needles in it. Hopefully when the infection has quietened down the break won't cause me any problems. And anyway, I'm not planning on ski-ing again until October :D

Ally

ally

i am really happy that you had a good skiing holiday
when i go i only take lessons in the morning and enjoy the afternoon doing my own thing.

i booked flights for the 14th march and i cant decide where to go to i was thinking meribel or tignes which would you recommend

Ally, how did it get infected? Is there broken skin, or toenail damage?

Good to have you back Ally and so glad you had a fab time. :D

Sorry to hear about the broken toe! I am a little confused though, because ski boots are so rigid and as you say, as good as a plaster cast, so I don't understand how you could have broken your toe whilst wearing ski boots. Are you sure you weren't on the mushrooms again?!! :wink:

To get a toe infected to that level, several days of toe bang?

bandit wrote:To get a toe infected to that level, several days of toe bang?

that's what I was thinking.
hope you heal quickly.