Happy (Ouch!) New Years!

[Caution: if you're averse to seeing wounds, please skip this entry.]

The Moulton ski area just north of Butte, Montana, has been picking up a little snow. By New Year's Eve there was enough to ski some of the trails.

I like my Fischer "E99" backcountry skis. They are waxable and skinny, which means they are fast (much faster than waxless models) and adapt to a broad range of snow conditions. The steel edge makes for good control when the hills and trails get icy (skis shown sandwiched together):

My boots are by Karhu:

In their "X-Adventure" model:

With a wide, heavy duty "backcountry" style toe bar (SNS BC) that locks into the ski binding:

The boots are in pretty good shape (I thought). Though maybe I should have looked more closely? Are those cracks developing in the front of the boot?

What might happen if a toe bar breaks out of the boot, say while skiing down a moderately steep incline and in the middle of a turn?

What might happen when a knee meets a steel edge? Ouch. I just found out:

When I fell onto the ski, my weight combined with my downhill sliding motion sliced through the skin and into the fascia:

My first thought was "I can do this job myself," but the cut into the fascia layer gave me pause. Luckily, I was on the return loop of my ski tour, and not more than a half-mile or so to the truck. Holding some snow against the wound and tying it with a clean bandana stopped any bleeding, and a few wraps of duct tape kept my ski on the failed boot. A short drive to the emergency ward and a few stitches later (including a few inside, dissolvable stitches to repair the fascia) and I was good to go:

Thanks to the good ER staff at St James Hospital in Butte America!

[PS: I've contacted Karhu about the "problem" with their boot, and will let readers know what comes of it.]