The big day, surgery

I had a 730 appointment this morning for pre-op preparation. Dr S did a assessment of my knee again, flexion was 113, thats down from 120 last week (said it wasn't a big deal). I noticed my knee was a bit swollen yesterday for some reason.

Anyway, the surgery is at 2pm today. They said it should be a 2-3 hour procedure followed by 2 hours of recovery. So I should be home by 6 or 7 pm. I'm a bit nervous, but probably more excited than anything. I just want to get back on the road to recovery. The doc is pretty funny, he got out the sheet you see below and marked all over it. The gist of it is:

• I will feel like shit for 3-5 days, w/ the only consolation being the painkillers
• Goal: walk w/o limp, no crutches, no brace at 3-6 weeks
• Expect to be training 5-6 DAYS/WEEK (no rest needed for the legs)
• Getting back to what he calls a High Performance Leg will take 9 months on average, with 7 months being exceptional
• I can expect a Medium Performance Leg in 4-5 months (this would be moving around normally, hiking etc, but not returning to full bore sports)
• Expect that I will begin to wane and demotivate on training at around the 4 month mark. This will be the CRITICAL time to really stay with rehab and training.

I liked his quote: If you want a Ferrari, you have to use Ferrari parts


For the next 2 weeks, Tracy will have triplets, so if anyone reading this wants to help her, give a call

Gelande Quaffing

Wow, just wow. This is my style of competition right now. Its about the only sport that I actually might stand a chance in. A friend of mine that works at Big Sky Brewing mentioned this was coming up. And today I bumped into 3 videos (yep, I'm putting them all up) of some "practices". Go Big Sky!

Team Big Sky


OR Show


Team Backcountry.com


Here's the basic background (from The Mountain Culture blog):“In 1986, the skis were skinny and the snow was fat, and during a 14 foot storm, the infamous underground crew of the Jackson Hole Air Force was going stir crazy in the Bear Claw Café, waiting for the mountain to open. In those days, the bartender would send a freshly filled beer mug sliding down the bar to the patron who ordered it. One fateful night a beer mug slid off the end of the bar, took air, was caught seconds before a glass-shattering catastrophe, and promptly pounded. Gelande Quaffing was born.”

* knee is feeling okay, still riding one hour a day on the stationary bike with some weight training every few days

Bad ass loggers - Ax Men series

I am really looking forward to this show. I have a lot of respect for the guys that do this. Although the industry has got a bad rap, it's a necessity. From the website:

http://www.history.com/minisites/axmen

The first-ever non-fiction series about the treacherous life of Pacific Northwest timber cutters, AX MEN, premieres Sunday, March 9 at 10pm ET/PT on History. From History and Original Productions, the same team responsible for the mega hit, Ice Road Truckers, this series looks at the legacy that the pioneers of our country laid for the present and future generations of loggers.

Deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, rugged men make their living doing one of the most dangerous jobs in history... Logging. Their mission: to retrieve timber perched on mountainsides too steep to access with machines. But this is no easy task.

For more than a hundred years, larger than life characters, many of whom are members of logging families that go back to the time when the West was being settled, have spent their days among towering trees and powerful machines and their nights in outposts far from the comforts of civilization. AX MEN will tell remarkable stories detailing the history of the logging industry, showing how technology has transformed life for today's logger, while the struggle of man versus nature stays the same.

Over the course of thirteen episodes, AX MEN follows four logging crews through a season in the remote forests of northwest Oregon. Plagued by mechanical failures, relentless weather--including a hurricane that ripped through the area----and violent and unpredictable terrain, these brave men risk their lives retrieving the very timber we depend on to build our country.

One of the best POV (point of view) ski segments yet

In my opinion this is some of the best (minus the youtube distortion) pov footage I've seen. This could seriously be what heaven is like. The terrain in this POV footage is unbelievable. While some pillows, especially those to the north, like in Canada can sometime be a bit tight and dicey. This stuff is perfect, room to let'em run. Sage Cattabriga-Alosa makes it look easy.

Pay close attention to the 1:40 to 1:50 mark, that is what dream pillows are made of.


Sage ripping North Cascades Heli


Totally unrelated, but hilarious. A buddys dad took this picture over near Butte, Montana. I guess the fella said the sled is for sale, $8000, he may even throw in the trailer.





*rode 14 miles tonight

Changed the blog title

For anybody that actually might be reading this or noticed, I changed the name of the blog. I know, don't be alarmed, settle down everyone. I thought that the "Western Montana Stories" title was just too generic. You know I really want something that grabs the reader when they come in.

Kneetopia just kinda flew into my head. That's all have been thinking about for the last 3 weeks. Thats likely not going to change for quite some time either. I'm starting to really be pretty jacked about the surgery. The idea of turning the corner and having nothing but improvement ahead has me motivated.

I hope that I can retain, if not increase the steam I am feeling right now about exercise and rehab. I plan to work my legs into the best shape they've ever been. However, I realize much if it will be a mental game and learning to trust my knee again. I've done a lot of thinking about just how important my knees really are to me. Just take a sec and think about yours.......

Any how enough of that serious shit, I stumbled across this. The site name alone had me laughing. Theres a few entertaining pictures in here too. Check out Passed Out Wookie http://www.passedoutwookies.com/

btw - I've worked into some 11 mile rides on the spinner in the basement and have been able to lift some weights at the gym. Really no pain at all, its just not stable. I'm almost able to walk down stairs (which was very difficult), although you can tell something ain't right.

Billy Poole: A tribute video

Team 13 put together a tribute video for Billy Poole, you should watch it. Right Click, Save As this...

http://www.team13.com/Billy.mov

I didn't know him but this movie definitely moves me. RIP Billy.

Salt Lake Tribune article

This guy is nuts

The late Dan Osman speed climbs a cliff solo. More here

The verdict is in

My knee saga continues.

I met with the 2 different ortho surgeons this week and got a definite diagnosis on my left knee. I do in fact have a torn ACL and MCL. I've made a decision to go with the Dr. that was unanomously recommended by friends. It was really a pretty easy decision. The knowledge and confidence that Dr. Schutte had made me feel much better. He outlined the injuries and showed me the road to recovery.

I am scheduled to have reconstructive surgery on the 29th of this month. For the next 2 weeks I will be rehabbing as hard as I can. I am cleared to do some weight lifting at the gym and can ride the bike. I'll be getting a stationary bike, that way I have no excuse not to be on it every day. The idea is to keep the muscles as strong as possible (as deconditioning, see losing muscle happens quickly), so that once the ACL is replaced you don't have to totally rework your muscles. I have already noticed my left quad has started to get soft.

Dr. Schutte will perform a patellar tendon graft, see below:

The ligament shown above then replaces the defunct ACL. Pretty cool.

I've been coping pretty well considering all the snow that continues to stack up in the high country. I have found myself thinking about the warmth of Spring and Summer. Really looking forward to getting a mountain bike and getting out there. Oh yeah, then theres work. I haven't been in for 3 weeks. But it looks like next week I'll be downtown in the headquarters office on light duty.

Check it out bra!

Some good laughs here. Love this guy.

On the knee update: able to ride 3.5 miles today on the stationary bike. Monday I'll find out if I need surgery.

First physical therapy session

Since the injury I have been pretty down and out. I am trying to stay positive but it's hard especially when this winter looks to be just starting. The storms have been relentlessly pouring in from the Pacific. Friends have seemed to stop calling (not as much anyway), they don't want to rub it in how good the skiing is. I have pretty much been riding the recliner, icing and elevating like its my job. The great thing is I get to hang out with the twins a lot. Tracy has been awesome at helping out and now seems to suddenly have triplets. Like we needed another thing to worry about?

I had a PT session this morning. They measured my range of motion (ROM) and found it to be:

• 9 degrees shy of full extentsion (180 degrees being fully flexed; with most males being able to flex past that another 3 degrees). So I guess that puts me at about 170ish.
• On extension it feels like there is a wedge blocking it from doing so. The PT said that was most likely the swollen sac around the joint.
• Flexing the knee, my ROM is 85, a normal knee goes to 135.

My MCL is definitely hammered because when they tried to pull my leg outward, it was instant pain. On Friday the PA said it was Grade III - complete tear of the MCL. Patients have significant pain and swelling, and often have difficulty bending the knee. Instability, or giving out, is a common finding with grade III MCL tears. A knee brace or a knee immobilizer is usually needed for comfort, and healing may take 6 weeks or longer.



Diagram of torn MCL

Towards the end of the session, I iced my knee and used electronic stimulation. Four leads were placed on my knee and low voltage current was sent to my knee. It felt like a small buzzing down there. My knee felt much better (all things considered) when I left the office.


However, with that said I just got a call back from the PA that evaluated my knee on Friday. The radiologist had looked over the results of the MRI and can conclusively say that there is a tear in the ACL, how bad.....I won't know until they evaluate it in a week (when the swelling goes down).

Diagram of ACL and injuries





They gave me a list of exercises to start on, which I did when I got home. I laughed until I tried them. What would usually be a walk in the park was very difficult. Just simply squatting down, my knee trembled in pain.

I'll be shopping for a stationary bike and mountain bike now.......

Why knee? Left ACL

Artificial florescence highlighted the snow-capped trees as I glided up the T-bar track. The wind was absent and the snappy 15-degree air was still. Each branch was laden with unfermented white pillows. The darkness wrapped the beefy tree trunks in black as I gazed into the black. Small frost sparkles pulsed as I got off at the top.

My first night ski in 10 years was just as I remembered it. All senses were heightened in the night air. Lazy flakes fell out of the sky, amplified by the light. Dark figures were slowly filing out of the bar at the bottom of the run. Racers readied the run; a drill whined in the night air and someone screwed a gate into the snow.

I took a few warm up runs, the snow was perfectly carvable. Visions flashed me back to my teenage years at local’s night on the ski hill. Wild packs of animated skiers darted through the night. Whoops and hollers played catch up as we started our Chinese downhill. Sparks flew off the ski edges as they passed over tiny granules of dirt.

I slid to a stop at the bottom of the run and a fine spray of snow drifted down the back of my neck bringing me back to reality. Shadows were heavy on the run, dark areas were punctuated by the soft ripples of the gate flags. Skiers slipped down the course removing the soft snow, exposing a fast racing surface.Rebounding chatter on the walkie-talkies tried to remedy the timing problem. A few racers tested the wand, poling hard for the first GS gate. Racers were paired up based on last week’s seedtime, a great format for fun on a winter Wednesday night. There would be 5 more nights to give'er.

After some discussion with fellow Team Rhino mates, my strategy was to ski a solid run but leave some heat in my back pocket for next week. A great opportunity presented itself and I ran the course as a pre-runner. The run was solid, revealing race techniques that I still clung to from high school ski team days. The 174 GS skis were like toothpicks in comparison to the powder hungry fatties I had skied the day before. These were like trains on a rail line, following my every command.

The first race pair of the night came out of the gate on Go, confirming everyone’s speculation that tonight would be fast. A small pit of excitement grew larger in my stomach as I gauged the course. I’d let them open up and start to tuck just as the slope made its last rollover.My number was up and I slid into starting position. Man, it felt like the good old times, but pressure free. It felt superb as I powerfully ripped past the poles. I couldn’t help but notice that the racer on my left, blue course was right there with me. We continued this way until the 2nd to last gate.

I was late for the last gate before the finish line, I could see it........ I stood on my outside edge like my life depended on it. As I tried to compensate for my tardiness, the ski hooked up and my body twisted the opposite way. While my edges lost hold, I knew I was seriously out of control. My edge caught and I spun out into a flurry of white.

In an instant I realized that my knee was in for some damage. I slid to a stop and immediately felt a burning sensation in my knee. It felt like the Snow Trolls had been in my pants with a blow torch, searing my ligaments. My season, my job and the epic days that would be lost streamed before my eyes.

I heard someone tell me to finish. I gritted my teeth in agony and was able to ski the remaining twenty five feet to the finish line. Making a beeline to the bar, I hoped that my knee would somehow miraculously recover en route. I struggled to remove my skis and hobbled with my head down to an open seat. My ugly grimacing face must have looked out of place amidst the giddy faces of the rest of the bar patrons.

Sitting in disbelief and now realizing the seriousness of the injury, I scanned the room for a familiar face. A tall bearded man offered a grin, laced with beer. Jeffery listened and pledged a much needed beer to me. The bartender slung the first of many bags of ice for my knee.

After yesterday’s diagnosis from the knee doc, it is looking like a tough road to recovery. The MRI revealed a grade III tear of MCL and ACL tear with possible meniscus damage. I am bound by a large knee brace, PT appointments next week and a follow up in 2 weeks for further evaluation. Here’s to next winter!

Cold smoke at the Bowl today

I awoke to the windows rattling this morning, the wind was howling. After a quick check to the snow report http://montanasnowbowl.com/report.php3, I was gearing up. Wind would have buffed her clean I thought. The recording claimed 14" in the last 2 days with 6" overnight. That was about as good as I've seen Snowbowl.

I linked up with a good buddy and carpooled up after a quick brody in the 7R lot. Kinda felt like Ivan Iron Man Stewart there for a second. We were 15th chair (but who's counting?). The Griz was totally smooth, save the swales of goodness laid across the top. It was all of a new 6" super light cold smoke on top of a smooth base. Contrails of snow were drifting 50 feet behind all the riders. Managed to bang out 14000 vertical feet today with 6 runs. The money was over near Powerlines. All that and I was still able to get home by 100 and change some diapers!

Ski & snomo trip

This is what we had to look at the whole weekend.

A month or so ago a buddy threw out the idea of going down to his cabin in SW Montana, we all jumped on the idea and made some plans.

There was some tentativeness from the group as the day before we were set to leave temps dropped into the MINUS 35 range (without wind chill). Luckily things had warmed up to a balmy 5 degrees as we loaded up the snowmobiles and what seemed to be an endless amount of gear (yes there was beer and booze too).

On 1/22 Tues we rolled up the canyon and got to the cabin at about 130pm. We geared up and snowmobiled 15 miles that day. Our goal was to break the trail with our snowmobiles so that it would be easier the next day. The snow got really deep, 2 feet as we got higher in the drainage. Steve’s snowmobile broke down in the first hour. What luck? As he rounded a corner he ran over a frozen owl which then got caught in this tracks and stalled the sled. It fucked up the clutch assembly. Steve opted to stay there and start a fire while we continued on our mission. After 3 hours we finally made it back to where Steve was, only he had started walking back, guess he was cold. We towed the busted snowmobile back to the cabin and picked up Steve enroute.

Wednesday the 23rd came early. After a huge greasy breakfast we left the cabin at 9am in the 5 degrees temp. The wind bit on our noses as we rallied the snomos at 30 mph. We snowmobiled up 8 miles and parked at the Sailor lake gate. From there we started our skintrack up to the lake. It was tough to decide what we should ski, the terrain was imposing to say the least. There was a lot of exposure and we were looking to minimize that, finding the powder was priority numero uno. We skied a short little shot after changing our minds on what to ski 2 times. We finally skinned up a south facing slope (shallow snowpack in the scree). We busted out one lap on great snow on the apron. Round two: skinned back up and then bootpacked about 400’ to the ridge. V started a fire (named the chute Burnt Pine) on the ridge, of which we dropped off of. The run was very rocky at the top. I was able to go last and missed the rocks, getting into great snow after about 100’ and skied the whole chute. We were back to the sleds at about 4pm. V's knee is hurt from a fall in the chute.

Digging a pit on the 2nd day

Our turns on the apron

Total vertical toured = 2000ft – 1.5 miles of up time; got 1 200', 1 400’, 1 800’, 1 500’ (back to the sled)

On our last day of the trip, 1/24 we got a bit of a later start. The group was a grogy from too much grog and the legs a bit tired. But the skies were crystal blue, except after we started the snowmobiles. Smoke bilged forth and we set out again. Only today we were one dude down, V was going to hang at the cabing to recoup the knee. Steve, Nate and I parked at the same spot as the day before. The trail was great and we had no issues getting up there. We skinned across Sailor lake towards the big apron that was calling our name. A quick climb up through the trees looker left and we were on top. The pit showed moderate conditions, CT 17 if I remember right. The aspect was somewhat shaded and was on the leeward side so the snow was excellent. The group ripped that twice, and I hit again for the last run. Steve and Nate explored the nice snow in the trees. We named it the Duke chute b/c the duke I left at the bottom of it. All in all a total of 2100’ skied – 1.3 miles up time

Nate ripping on day 2, a nice rooster of cold smoke

A long ride - Lost Horse

1/17 Fri – Lost Horse Canyon – Kerns, Finn, Vinni and I get 830am start from Lolo. Lost Horse canyon is in the southern end of the Bitterroot Valley on the west side. It's one of the only roads that extends way West, back towards the wilderness boundary, offering excellent access for skiing. We parked at the trailhead, the only trucks in the parking lot! We were stoked and on the snowmobiles by 10am. The trail was in horrible shape, with whoops the entire way. Every once in a while you could get in a little rhythm, which usually meant excessive use of the throttle.

Twelve miles back from the parking lot, we finally reached the area we thought we would ski. There was at least 10 feet of snow on the ground. Looking up at imposing Ohio Slided (a massive 3000 foot avalanche slide path), we were inspired. Vinni couldn't resist showing us what his snowmobile could do. He took off like a bat out of hell up the slide. As he started to loose traction and make his turn around, the sled died. Up comes the hood, never a good sign. After finally getting him on the radio, he said his sled wouldn't start. He said to go on w/o him, so we did.

The 3 of us rode past the cabin at fork (had 10ft on the roof), then all of the sudden the snow got really deep. Kerns was in front and started to bog down in the 2 feet of new snow. With snow coming up over the hood, he grinded to a halt. I gassed mine and tried to keep the trail going. It wasn't long and I too was totally buried. After a lot of digging and sweating we got all 3 of the snomo's turned around and we headed back to where Vinni was.

By the time we had got back, he was at the bottom of the slide with his sled running, sweet. So we promptly parked the sled and got ready to skin up. We cautiously skinned up the side of the path, with Kerns kicking ass and breaking trail the entire way. As we started to get close to timberline, we could tell the snowpack was quickly changing, for the worse. At about 7200 feet, we decided to call it good and dig a pit. The results from a Rustchblock test showed moderate to considerable danger with 18” break, pretty clean.

With our nerves wrapped tight, we stayed in trees for 400 feet then got into some thicker old growth trees. The snow was sun crusted in places, decent skiing but not what we had hoped for. With the sun starting to go down, we decided to head for the trucks. Unfortunately the road was still in rough shape. At about 9 miles, on a straight away, I was just passing a huge Ponderosa and I noticed I was falling off the sled. Next thing you know, I am rolling in the road and the sled is still going, ghostriding! I looked and saw that my handle bars had come of the snowmo.

I laughed but realized how lucky I had been. If that would have happened on a corner or in thick trees it could have been deadly. On closer inspection, the riser (that my buddy had homemade) had snapped clean off at the weld. Luckily we had enough tools and we were able to attach the handlebars sans riser back to the sled and ride out. Had burger and beers at the lodge; got home at about 800; rode 30 miles total

Lolo Pass 12-29-07

Sometimes things just work out perfectly. Storms had been pounding Western Montana and Idaho for the past few weeks. I called up Steve and suggested that we go make sure the snow was okay, we didn't want it to go unused.

Steve and I got up there at about 8:30am. At the parking lot the berms were huge and we picked up the old skin trail with about 8" of fresh. The snow quickly got deeper as we climbed. As we came up towards the bowl it was thigh deep breaking up on old skin track to the top of Pillows.

Snow was probably 6%, blower for Lolo. Carver was along for the ride and was doing well with his booties on. We skied from the very top down the gut and over to the right of it; There was probably 24” of new about thigh to waist deep; On the steeps it was coming up over your shoulders, face shots for sure; Then after that did one run on the mellow regen run and then we headed out; the lower trees below the road was really really good; Snowed hard on us all day long; temp was 20

Here's the video that I put together.