winter snow & ice injuries

Winter 2005 / 2006

I really haven't been injuring myself much lately --
well, in a strictly relative sense. A brief synopsis
of injuries from the Winter 2005-2006 season, where
all injuries are the combined fault of frozen water
(ice and/or snow) and user error. In order of occurrence:

• left hip bruise:
  On one of the strangely balmy days that punctuate a Front Range winter, Jason and I were able to go for a mountain bike ride near Red Rocks. Sunny, warm, 95% snow- and ice-free trail ... well, I found a lovely black ice section in a shaded ravine. The bike slammed me down sideways, I landed sorta head and hip first -- no helmet crack, just a bruised hip.
  
• lower back bruise:
  A day of snowboarding at Keystone with my friend Cynthia, we spent lots of our day going through the trees hunting for powder but all we could find is ice, icy moguls, and more hardpack. I'm not sure which of my many falls that day caused this baby, but I do know the fall creating this bruise came with a lovely dose of pain shooting up my spine followed
  by many expletives.
  
• knee bruises:
  Another balmy day, another moutain bike ride, this time at Buffalo Creek. Slid out on some ice, thankfully at a low speed; I mostly remained on my feet but slammed enough of the
  bike frame against my knees to receive a nice early-season collection of bruises.
  
• back injury:
  A new pattern and injury for the Bruise Key!!! Snowboarding at Eldora with some friends, we were going through Jolly Jug Glades (fairly low-angle and well-spaced trees)
  early in the day; I made a poor choice of path and ended up in a tight section of 5-10 small trees which were closer together than my snowboard is long. Hmmm, this does
  not bode well. I ricocheted off one tree with my board, spun into another, at which point
  I thought I was about to stop but instead slid backwards a bit more and wrapped myself around a tree back-first. Didn't see it coming, and got the wind knocked
  out of my lungs. Made it down the mountain (and a few more easy runs after that), and ski patrol said I probably didn't injure any internal organs, but damn does my back hurt!
  I'm walking like I'm 80 years old. However, tossing and turning at night does have the unintended benefit of incrementally readjusting my spine - no chiropractor for me, I've got a bed! Should be fine by next weekend.