unexpected...

this was my view yesterday, perched halfway down one of the ski runs. the morning had been beautiful, golden sun glinting through the trees as four of us carved our way down the runs and then up again on the lifts. the last of the holiday crowds were still there, but thankfully not too bad. just as we got set to head in for lunch at the pub, gentle snow began to fall in a quickening wind. a greasy bowl of poutine heavy in my belly (a great start to new year's healthy eating, right?), we started back out in what was now a snowstorm. just to examine the full extent of conditions, we took a lift to the very top of the mountain, and were rewarded with freezing wind and snow like ice pellets drumming our faces. i stopped to take this shot as I hid from the gusts, the cold giving me the feeling of an ice-cream headache in the little gap it found between my goggles and my toque and helmet. still, the fresh layer blanketing the morning's tracks was enticing. our friends had to leave after that first after-lunch run, but A and i planned a few more, although we eyed more sheltered slopes away from the wind.

our next run seemed mostly uneventful. A is much more adventurous (and skilled) than me, darting in and out of trees and racing down slopes. i'm five seasons into this sport, but i still generally stick to the groomers, and while i love a bit of speed when i'm comfortable, i take extra care around other riders, especially little ones. why am i telling you all this? well as i finished up this run, slowing down considerably as i neared the maze of safety nets in front of the lifts, a young rider appeared abruptly on my blind side and cut across my board. there wasn't a real "collision", but he did contact me a little and interrupt my course as he came up from behind (as the rider in front, i have the right of way). i of course was concerned about him getting hurt, so i did my best not to knock him over. but to that end I did an awkward spin away from him and as he zoomed off without a care i crashed ungracefully to the ground, landing hard on my left wrist and yowling in pain. A saw the whole affair and was at my side quickly as i cried and whined and tried not to vomit from the pain. yes, an obviously stoic display of bravery and composure. a quick walk down to the lodge and he gently examined the fast-swelling joint (he is a well-qualified first aider and outdoor instructor). he pronounced that a hospital visit was in order, but i'm glad that we decided to first drive to the ski patrol hut where they splinted me up and greatly reduced my pain by immobilizing my arm. especially when considering the half hour drive and subsequent 3+ hour wait before i saw a physician.

anyway, i hadn't meant to make this into an epic. suffice to say my left wrist is broken
(first broken bone in all my klutzy 32 years!), so awkwardly in fact that they put me out briefly to reset it. and while the doctor was pleased with the "after" x-ray, i have to see the orthopedic surgeon in a week to check that things are healing in the right way and that i won't require surgery to correct anything. thankfully i am right handed, but this will still put a bit of a kink in my hopes to get 2012 off to a full start with lots of stitching and new pieces for the shop. i'm currently not sure when i'll feel up to that. i hope you'll bear with me!

trying to look at the positive side - i can still wield my camera (i think), and i can certainly still draw. this is good because my sketchbook still has lots of blank pages and i am running out of time in which to finish it. since i can't sew or draw right now, i will be forced to make some progress!

here's hoping your 2012 is off to a better start than mine. :)