Austria - knees on the mend

Knees must....
Taking a break

Saturday January 14th 2017 is one of those days to remember. The longest run, H1, had just opened after it was readied following heavy snow. We headed down. The visibility was not too good so I kept the speed low. We passed the piste basher and gained a bit of speed for the roller coaster section that goes a bit up-hill. Unfortunately there was a step in the piste and I hit it and flew 30 feet. Both ski's came off but not before both knees were given a significant rotating tweak! I got to my feet after a while and, with some discomfort, headed to the cable car. I thought a nice coffee at the Haitzingalm would put me right. So I had to negotiate a very snowy and tricky oopla-weg. The coffee did not fix me so I headed down on ski's with GDC to the Berglift restaurant. A couple of beers did not fix me either. TW came over and helped me home for quite a painful weekend. By Monday morning both knees were very swollen and a trip to the Doc was needed. The right knee was diagnosed a damaged ligament and the left a ruptured ligament. Quite a bit of blood on the knee as well.
No more skiing for you this season was the Doctor's verdict and no cycling until April. He was right on both counts. With another week to go before flying home it gave me the opportunity to get daily treatment from the Nurse but also to put the fear of falling into the minds of all the other skiers. As I hobbled around on crutches with a full leg brace on my left and knee brace on my right I could see the other skiers averting their eyes.  Anyway, it was good to be a leisurely tourist for once. Being temporarily disabled was a bit of an eye-opener. Getting out of bed was really tricky and lifting off the toilet even more so. One of the worst things was having to self inject anti-coagulant into my stomach for the first two weeks.  The Austrians were quite concerned about blood clots, particularly as I was flying home. TW agreed to assist but had to withdraw support after the needle bent on the first attempt. An attack of the vapours and the need to lie down meant that I was on my own.
I was on my own again on the flight with three seats to myself after a limo ride to the Airport. The limo driver's normal occupation was as a guide for the Sound of Music tour. Did you know that the first Mrs Von Trapp was British? Anyway, she was and we got the full story.
The Gastein Alm stagger in January
I am glad to report that TW recovered fully and has nursed me back to health. Poole Hospital physios have been excellent and the knees are improving all the time. Back to skiing next December and hopefully some tennis in the Summer?
Lunch at the top in January

TW at Sportgastein in April

Lunch at the Valerie Haus in April

Spot the phoney! Sportgastein in April
Back on the bike in April
TW on ride back from Dorfgastein


So only 24 days of skiing in 2016/17,

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