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TR: SNAP!


dberdinka

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Monday was a great day as I skipped work and headed up to Squish with 3 joyously unemployed friends. The Smoke Bluffs were essentially deserted and by 10 AM is was almost too hot to climb in the sun. My headspace was great and I was consistently leading routes at or just beyond my onsite ability. My abilites were well matched with a new friend Matt, partner to the infamous Big 4 Layton rescue.

 

By early afternoon I was whipped and seriously considered just getting on some easier well-protected climbs. Instead I kept pushing myself, and got on a climb called "Where Ancients Fear to Tread" just right of Geritol on the Neat & Cool Wall.

 

Wearing a helmet I cautiously worked my way up the intermittent cracks and thin face moves. Doubling up most protection points I essentially sewed it up.

 

Near the top you hit a horizontal break that you traverse right on. After much hesitation I moved right about 10' then tried to move straight up over an overlap to what I later discovered was an off route bolt. Regardless, my grip strength faded, I started to flail, my foot blew off and I took a fall.

 

A nice big pendulum fall, grating across the less-than-vertical wall. As I fell I swung in torwards my line of gear. As I passed the perpendicular my right foot caught on the now taught rope running to my belayer.

 

SNAP!

 

I yelled out, in a high-pitched squeal, "OUCH! I broke my ankle!"

 

Quickly followed by "LOWER ME DOWN"

 

My inner ankle was visibly deformed. Matt quickly lowered me to the ground, where we pulled my rock shoe off. My buddy Allen and his housemate Tomaline came over in minutes. Tomaline (also know as Traumaline) is a wilderness medicine instructor, Allens a long time guide, Matt seemed to know what he was doing as well boxing_smiley.gif. It was well splitted within 5 minutes and we were on our way home with 45.

 

X-Rays at St Josephs on Monday night show that I had broken off the inner knob of my Tibia. 1 big chunk, 2 smaller fragments and god knows what else. It's surprisingly unpainful, though I imagine the Vicodin is helping. Surgery is scheduled for Friday, I'll be off it for at least a month. I am so suck cry.gif

 

Honestly I feel surprisingly upbeat. I've seen a lot worse happen in Squamish, a friend of a friend is dieing of cancer in their 30's. My condition is a minor inconvience in comparison. And I've got a script for Percidan come post-op.

 

Lesson Learned: I DIDN'T LISTEN TO MY INTUITON. Even though it was speaking with much clarity. Getting on a climb just at the border of my onsite ability, that was nebulous and relatively runout, when I was worn out on a muggy day was, in retrospect unneccesary and somewhat stupid. A couple observations.

 

In the last few years I've devoted a fair bit of energy to solo-climbing, something I've generally found terrifying. By learning too push through the irrational fears associated with that activity I think I have lost a healthy respect for reasonable fears.

 

With more and more of my time and energy focused on work and a rapidly maturing relationship (I'm recently engaged) when I do have time to climb I've been very intense, trying to push myself and get the most out of the experience.

 

My ego got involved. Climbing with a new, and strong, partner made me want to push things. Note this all about me, nothing to do with the personality of the partner.

 

I've got at least six weeks to focus on other things (like completing a long overdue Masters) and look hope to be climbing again in the late spring. In the mean time, I definitely will listen to myself far more carefully in the future and I hope it rains every freakin weekend. the_finger.gif

 

Darin

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What a positive attitude you have about something that many people would whine about.

 

I went to New Zealand last year and severely sprained my ankle the 2nd day on the island. It was a major bummer, but I learned from it as you did.

 

Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery! Thanks for sharing your accident and the lessons that can come from it.

 

Steve

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bummer d.

 

sounds like a clean break though...trying to be positive.

 

A buddy of mine took a big lead fall once and came down hard on his ankle, he totaly destroyed the whole thing and it messed him up good.

 

hope yours fixes up nice and quick.

 

Matt

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Ah fuck Dinka!

 

As someone who has done nearly the same thing 3.5 years ago, and somone who has something invested in your recovery by August, let me offer two points:

1. Before you fully commit to weight bearing etc, try to get a CT scan to determine other hairline fractures. No, I'm no doctor, but it is extremely hard to see all the fractures with just an XRay. This messed me up good when I actually re-ruined my ankle on the advice of the ER guys in Vancouver.

2. Your calf muscle will wither VERY RAPIDLY if you do not have a very intensive physio program. I am only just now at 100% on my left calf after 3.5 years (I was non-weight bearing for six months with now physio in place.)

 

Get better dude bigdrink.gifbigdrink.gifbigdrink.gif

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I predict about 75 minutes from now till marylou pipes up on this one...

 

tongue.gif

 

Seriously, that sucks. I hope your friends brought the car around to pick you up at least.

 

Glad to hear you had some good climbing before the accident.

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That sucks. I think just about anyone who has climbed for any length of time has heard that voice you speak of, failed to heed it, and managed to get away with it - then wondered what the consequences would have been if they had fallen.

 

I hope you have a fast and complete recovery.

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I predict about 75 minutes from now till marylou pipes up on this one...

 

tongue.gif

 

Seriously, that sucks. I hope your friends brought the car around to pick you up at least.

 

Glad to hear you had some good climbing before the accident.

not today sno.. Allie is at the hospital today having some kind of fusion surgery on both her painful ankles. I wish her well and hope this aliviets some of her cronic pain.
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I predict about 75 minutes from now till marylou pipes up on this one...
not today sno.. Allie is at the hospital today...

 

Check the time stamp... that was last night, and she was online right about when I thought she would be... Musta missed this one. smile.gif

 

Good Luck Allie! And dberdinka too!

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sorry to hear about the injury Darin. As one who has been under the knife about 8 times and is currently missing a spleen, your attitude about it all rockband.gif. ginnie jo, issac and I would love to pump you full of beer whenever your up to it. we've also got lots of literature and movies for you to borrow for your downtime. give a call. take care.

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