Very glad to hear progress is being made. Not sure if there's any point asking a skier to take it steady, but...!! Good news on the sleep front. I can utterly empathise.

I really do have to take it easy, I have no choice. Skiing with my wife I can do 1 run in 3, and at a much slower than normal pace.

Glad you're making good progress. Hopefully you'll be fully recovered soon!

At your age this is normal

My wife is a year older than I am, this is her 53rd year skiing

If you can afford it, maybe try to keep up the deep tissue massage? Everyone needs different treatment for sure, but for me, I get this at least once every 2 weeks to fix historic issues - without regular treatment I just wind up living with pain, stuff all sleep, and walking like a crippled old gal! I've been lucky enough to find a great physio/massage combo dude so I get a holistic workout! Am sure you're already trying swimming and stretching to build your strength back up without aggravating your injuries?


Congrats on being a walking (skiing) miracle!

On the BUPA piece. Maybe some twitter/facebook posts on their company page might speed things along? The last thing any brand conscious corporation needs these days is a disgruntled customer going public on the company not living up to promises?


I think there is also a regulatory body who monitor consumer complaints for insurance companies - maybe log a claim with them and/or refer to them in your next interactions with Bupa.


Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that....

BUPA did eventually pay & I received £275 additional compensation for their incompetence.

Considered what you went through, the hunchback looks pretty fine to me!

Up and up!

Getting over an injury myself, it is humbling us, the adrenaline creatures, innit..

You sure ? She certainly doesn't look it

Hey, I'm glad to hear you're doing better. Take good care of yourself.

I'm not sure how I managed to miss this thread for a year. I would have wished you a well and fast recovery much sooner. Hopefully all continues to go well Thanks too, for taking the time to make the original post and continue updating.

Geez fmf...... you can't be left alone for 5 mins, eh! 😉😉

Somehow this thread flew sort of under my radar already a year ago. Better late, than never. Glad to read your update and that you are on the mend now.
Hope and wish for you, that everything is steadily improving still and you'll be pain and free if complaints soon!

Excellent news. Bravo and onwards and forwards.

Glad to hear you are "on the mend" as they say FMF. I hope you continue to progress with your recovery

And people wonder why I think ski people are crazy...

I'm glad you are feeling better. But let me be the old git here and tell you to stop doing crazy sh!t. Take care of yourself.

I cannot tell you how many really good athletes I know have had horrific accidents on vacation while skiing. And for the most part, is was not their fault but other novice skiers hitting them thereby rupturing their ACL or achilles tendon etc...

These guys/gals can no longer play tennis and normal exercise/hiking is an issue. And the sad thing is: they were very accomplished skiers but I gather it is the "newbies" that ski who present the most threat/danger...

I rarely skied while growing up and as much as I love sport, I am reluctant to give it a go given the hazards my friends have experienced.

This must be really hard for you FMF as it sounds as though you were a very accomplished skier. Have you thought of snow shoeing or cross country skiing? Perhaps not the same thrill - but nonetheless great exercise... Good luck to you and hope your recovery continues

One of the reasons I ski off piste is the risk of being crashed into on piste.

Putting the accident in perspective, I skied about 1500 days without any injuries before the accident, that's not that risky.

Ultimately it's the adrenaline buzz from skiing off piste some people take drugs I go skiing.

Don't be daft. Giving up skiing would be giving up living.

@FMF Keep plugging away. After my broken back it was a good four or five years before i got back to anything like my former fitness, and age makes it even more difficult to retain it. Did your session with Phil give you any pointers on skiing more efficiently? That was a key point for me, but back then I still had lots more scope for improvement than you do now (i.e. I wasn't that good a skier then).

Going through BASI really helped me to develop, and also, perhaps surprisingly, allowed me to find a new pleasure in skiing on piste as well as off. But mainly it was focusing on technique that's meant I can now ski so much more, and for longer, at the cost of much less energy and muscle usage.

BTW I can't agree that the risk of being hit while on piste is a reason to avoid it - in all my years of leading and teaching I've only once had a group member taken out by a rogue skier (or border, in fact) and I really don't think it's significant for an accomplished skier such as yourself.

I had the lesson with Mark Gear, BASI 4, you may know him from Phil's courses in the mid / late 90's. He passed the French speed test around 2001 & has been running www.allmountainperformance.com since 2002. As my balance & coordination was off he suggested pulling back the skies under me at the same time as the pole plant & stand up taller as it reduces stress on the back. I am doing his advanced off piste course starting in 10 days time so will no doubt have some more tips then.