Injuries/Scars from Mountain Adventures

[Skimo95]

Surprisingly, I have nothing. Bicycle crashes have left me far worse off.

And let's not even mention skateboarding.

Skateboarding was a lifetime in its own during my teenage years..

Len shoemaker peak to lightning pyramid had raining boulders. Unable to post anymore pictures for a few reasons

[cedica]

Not a mountain adventure per se, but the Shawangunks will always be dear to me.

I know a guy who was flown urgently from Gunks to Valhalla trauma center. He was out like a candle for the next couple of weeks, but swears that the helicopter crew was playing Ride of the Valkyries.

[justiner]

I know a guy who was flown urgently from Gunks to Valhalla trauma center. He was out like a candle for the next couple of weeks, but swears that the helicopter crew was playing Ride of the Valkyries.

You either surf, or you fight!

[Cruiser]

Someone about 30' above me yelled rock rock rock while we were descending Crestone Needle this summer. I was facing out and by the time I got turned around a fist sized rock was one bounce away from hitting me in the right thigh. Fortunately, my phone was in my pocket and took all the impact.

First (and only) time I've been hit by rockfall and I got away unscathed

[Gore Girl]

Cruiser, had one almost kill me this year on my way up Kneeknocker. Never have I moved so quickly!

[derekpetrie]

Thankfully nothing significant from hiking or hunting. Skiing though… this one is from a fall at Copper Mountain. Sheared the humeral head right off, and dislocated it. That was a VERY long sled ride down to base.

Glad to have had an excellent surgeon and PT; I was back to skiing 7 weeks post-op. Nowadays, I forget all this hardware is still in there…

IMG_4720 Medium.jpeg

[Istoodupthere]

[greenonion]

Surprisingly, I have nothing. Bicycle crashes have left me far worse off.

And let's not even mention skateboarding.

Similar here, however, I was very fortunate that the boulder on the upper very loose gully of El D this past summer only punctured my ankle vs crushing it.

But bikes… sheesh! I’ve hit the pavement 4 significant times resulting in a concussion, whiplash, stitches, and good ol road rash. A big reason I (for the most part) gave up road riding for mountain hiking.

[daway8]

Jones Mountain is the only one to leave a lasting mark on me so far - and that was purely my own fault for not pulling out traction and ice axe when I should have. I have an inch and a half reminder on my left arm of how that poor decision led to an uncontrolled slide that ended soon after my arm hit a rock that flipped me over.

Can't really count the toenail that fell off my big toe after getting crushed in mountaineering boots on Longs since that grew back...

And for non-mountains, I guess I'll be the first entry to mention rollerblading (that was back in the day and was even with pads on...).

Surprisingly, my various bicycle mishaps from younger years didn't leave permanent marks - neither the time I flipped head over heels such that the bicycle ended up in the air falling down on me, nor even the time when I wiped out on gravel and walked home with flaps of skin hanging off my palms...

[Marmot72]

I only have one notable mountaineering injury. It was 2011 and a large rock fell onto my left shin. I think it was the act of lifting that boulder off my shin that rolled the skin up in a ball beneath my knee. I had 29 stitches put in (3 layers). The V shaped scar used to be prominent but has since faded, but if I feel along the shin bone in that area, it's no longer smooth - several indentations in the bone where pieces chipped off. That was achieved while returning from Holy Cross Mountain and opting to side-hill across large talus beneath Holy Cross ridge instead of sticking to the summit ridge and re-ascending it on my return Holy Cross City. Fun hike out afterward!

[TomPierce]

Interesting query. I've had a few injuries from mountain adventures over the years, only a few are what I'd call permanent:

-Severed bicep tendon (rock climbing, Curecanti Needle). Permanent but slight numbness in forearm>thumb, scar from surgery. I now need to watch how hard I torque my right arm, won't be able to reattach the tendon if I tear it again.
-Permanent stiff ankle ligaments, not that bad, caused by an ice climbing fall. Probably aggravated because I never did PT.
-Snow blindness (Denali, cheap sunglasses).
-Dislocated spinal pad, skiing crash when I was a teenager; years of medication, etc. Links eventually fused.

And of course the inevitable nasty scratches/bruises over the years from lead falls while rock climbing, etc etc. Once had a massage therapist ask to photograph the aftermath of one fall . All that aside, I have no complaints, just part of the game. If you play with snakes you'll get a few bites.

-Tom

[nmjameswilson]

I slipped on ice and went down about 70 feet on Wilson Peak. There were large rocks all the way across the slip route except for a small opening that avoided those rocks. I was lucky to go right though that spot and used the large rocks to the sides to break my slide. I ended up bruised and cut up but nothing was broken. If I had been even one foot to either side I would have likely broken something. In doing all 58 in Colorado and some California ones that was been the only injury ... knocking on wood.