# How my new rockered skis almost killed me



## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Atta boy Dave how'd that airtime feel? Gotta love those blind horizons


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## Toni (Sep 18, 2006)

I am sorry to have missed capturing the great flight on film, though probably best that I didn't see it. 

I do think it made an impression on Riley, he has asked lots of questions and has been very attentive to Dad's needs...even made breakfast this morning! I think showing your kids that you make mistakes and can learn from them is far more beneficial than having them think you're perfect, or that they need to be.

I must say, however, while all that was happening, I hiked a bit farther and got the best run of my life! 

You'll heal quickly


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## Chief Niwot (Oct 13, 2003)

Dave, you are a hard charger on those new skis! We might have to take those skis away from you to slow you down. 

We had a banner day at Eldo on Saturday, deep pow in all of our favorite areas all day long. I had a kid just miss me in moose at high speed, he went right over the back of my skis and flew in the air into a pretty stout tree and fell to the ground. I was amazed he was not hurt and darn glad he did not hit me.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

If i was riley I probably would've pissed myself if my pops tried being a bird.. id crack up if someone went over my shit straight into a stout tree. That's funny obviously he was not in control


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

Great story! I hope that never happens to me.

I have a question though. Why are these new fat skis and rockered skis so great? I hear they ski more like a snowboard and "float" better, but I don't understand why that is desirable. It seems like a foot of fresh would ski the same as 2 or 3 feet on these fatties, whereas with old skinny skis the difference between a foot and three is night and day: a foot is a good time and three is epic. I love digging in deep pow and going blind and inhaling snow every turn. It seems like fat skis eliminate the need for a snorkel. What am I missing?


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Gee Dave, someone definitely should have snapped a picture. Sorry to hear about the injury but glad it wasn't worse. What's the word on the shoulder? Is it going to be paddling worthy by spring?


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Josh, you're welcome to a test drive if your boots are under 320 mm. Float is good.

Kev, I sure hope so. It sure hurts today; x-rays are good, but not yet sure if anything was torn.


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## soylent green (Jul 8, 2004)

I LOVE my Maestro"s and I understand the HERO feeling they give you. Those skis fuckin rock!


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## Roy (Oct 30, 2003)

Bummer about the shoulder Dave. Rehab if at all possible, shoulder surgery sucks. Good luck!


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## jasons (Sep 29, 2006)

*I got my first pair too*

That is a sweet story. Are you going to go back and do the intended line? do lots of rehab on the shoulder. Creek season isn't that far away.

Man rockered skis are kind of like going from a dancer to your favorite creek boat of today. So nice. You can ski a longer ski and it skis shorter and turns with ease. No more going from wind blown to powder stash to almost tumbling down the hill. You can carve them on groomers. Check out the turn radius. Some of them aren't so good...in the 40m. Some of them are 16m for a 190cm ski. Pretty sick. The idea of throwing my old 98cm underfoot on edge hard wasn't going to happen. Now the 112's are a joy on a groomer. Throw them on edge and carve it up!

Sitting back on your current pow skis to keep the tips up on a deep day? That is your first sign to get a pair. 

Technology has come so far. My back country skis/boot/binding weight is less than a normal alpine boot, let alone adding the ski and binding. Carbon fiber is helping move that along as well. 

I kind of look at it this way. It always sucks to hand over your hard earned cash for a new toy, but it is so beyond worth it.

My weapon of choice is DPS Wailer 112RP, 190CM. I'm 5'9 and 150. Sounds like a long ski for me, but it floats even better being a little longer.


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## lukelubchenco (May 10, 2008)

Sick story to start it off! Well put Jasons... Skiing on my first pair of fat skis this year and having a blast. Would highly suggest the RMU Guyot (Rocky Mountain Underground in Breckenridge) rmuskis.com


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## DanOrion (Jun 8, 2004)

Glad you're alright! Hope the wing is healed up for what will surely be a record setting year on Clear Creek.


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## hartle (May 8, 2006)

sounds like you almost killed your self not the skis


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## blutzski (Mar 31, 2004)

The "crash and burn" segment shows kids that all those sick looking don't always go as planned. Nothing like Dad demonstrating it in person. Hope you heal up well, Dave.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

MRI results in and conclusive: Supraspinatus tendon hanging on by a thread. Labrum torn as well, in addition to an impaction fracture on the humorous head.

Surgery is scheduled for Monday morning. See you guys on the river sometime in August.

I did just squeak in a couple more powder days with Riley- even kept him out of school for eleven fresh at Eldora this morning.

Hartle I'm confused, are you saying I should be responsible for my own actions? How unamerican is that?


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## Roy (Oct 30, 2003)

Bummer Dave. I'm just getting back after shoulder surgery in August. Who's your doc?


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Drigan Wieder at Mapleton hill orthopedic here in boulder


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## Chief Niwot (Oct 13, 2003)

Drigan is great! He fixed my Achilles tendon. I also like that he uses the Boulder Surgery Center, keeping you out of the general hospital population and the increrased possibility of infections. 

He was also a ski patroller at one time at Crested Butte in his younger days.


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

Dave,
So sorry to hear it is surgery serious. Heal quickly!


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Thanks. I even got a second opinion, which came with a third, that surgery is all but mandatory for any high performance expectations for future activity.

skiing started out tentative. At first I thought i'd only wan to do afew runs a and call it. After finding a different groove and balance point (carrying both poles, but hardly using the right one) I was able to ski half decently and really had a fun time. I will greatly miss the rest of the season, not to mention most of run off.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Wow, Dave. I feel for you. First the heel and now this. I hope you heal up sooner than what they're predicting.

-AH


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Sorry to hear it Dave. Good luck with the surgery and recovery. Let me know what people do with themselves in the spring when they're not kayaking.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

yo dave, just got my BH shoots, putting hamerheads on them and going big..... I will post a picture of all my hudge airs and drops, going for bathtub next.... you can live vicariously.... till you heal, then i'll be following you.

rest up bro, i'm going to need you for gore, anamas, upper clear creek, boulder creek, n f of the poudre upper, s f of the poudre, big south......


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## Wang (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave,

Man that sucks, let me know if you need anything.

Tom Troy


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

My shoulder rehab so far:

I trashed my shoulder skiing in late january. if you missed my story on the crash, you can read that here: 

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f17/how-my-new-rockered-skis-almost-killed-me-34492.html

I saw Dr Wieder at Mapleton Hill Orthodaedics in Boulder, CO.

Anyway I was glad he insisted on an MRI, that showed the supraspinatus tendon hanging on to the the humorous by a thread. If he hadn’t seen that image, the Dr likely would have recommended rehab, during which it would have torn it free as soon as the weights got involved. Also torn was the labrum, which may have done okay with rehab, but since we were going in, he fixed that too, along with a sub-acromial decompression to allow more space in the AC joint.

Before fully commiting to surgery, I got a second opinion from long time padding legend and orthopod, Peter Weingarten of Colorado Orthopaedic Consultants in Aurora. Peter looked at the MRI, saw the damage and pulled in his colleague Michael Hewitt, who does nothing but shoulders. These guys know their stuff. Dr. Hewitt would have done the whole procedure arthroscopically whereas Wieder did it partially open along with arthroscopy. If I hadn’t already had it scheduled in Boulder, I would have dealt with the drive and gone down there.

That being said I am very happy (so far) with the results from Dr Wieder.

After reading lots of shoulder posts here, I was expecting a much more difficult transition post op. The first few day was spent high on narcotics locked to the couch. By day 3, I was not using meds except to sleep and then only through about day 5. not sure what else others may have done differntly, but I’ve not felt all the horrors I’d read about. I’ll spare the timeline of when I started performing various chores right handed but it wasn’t that long.

He didn’t have me start PT until 6 weeks post op. I’ll do PT for 3-4 or more months minimum.

Easy paddling should resume 4 months post op, which is mid June. Harder stuff not until 6 months post op or August.

Total price tag is somewhere in the mid $20K before PT. It’ll be costing me my max out of pocket of $5K plus lots of down time from work. I’m not supposed to swing a hammer for another month or two, I think.


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