Falling is a part of skiing and snowboarding. Fortunately, the majority of falls don’t result in injury to any body part other than the ego, but serious accidents that require months of recovery and time away from the mountain do happen. While many of these accidents cause injuries that the skier or snowboarder can physically recover from well enough the ride again, there are also mental roadblocks to getting back on the mountain after a serious accident.
While you should always first listen to your doctors and physical therapists when it comes to your health, the ASO Mammoth team knows a thing or two about getting back in the saddle after a bad accident. If you’re ready to return to the snow after a skiing accident, check out these tips to getting back on the mountain!
Follow all Health Care Provider’s Recommendations
You may be more familiar with your body than anyone else, but health care professionals such as doctors and physical therapists know more about how it works than you do. Always adhere to their recommendations, whether it’s to stay off the mountain or do a certain exercise before you ride again.
Do not push yourself to ride again before you’re ready! You could end up adjusting your riding so that you can ride injured or hurt yourself more severely.
Take a Lesson
Approaching the part of the mountain where you had a serious accident can be frightening, but if you take your time and focus on the fundamentals while doing it then you should be able to do so at your own comfort. What better way to do that than by taking a lesson with a great instructor?
For example, if you were injured in the park find an experienced instructor who will not only help you focus on all the small parts of park riding that you haven’t done since your accident. Doing so will force you to slow down as you get your legs back under you and build the confidence needed to ride at a high level again. The same can be said for moguls, backcountry, and groomed runs thanks to the experienced ski school staff at Mammoth Mountain. It will take time to get back to where you’re comfortable riding again but taking small steps with an experienced hand to guide you along will help you move past your accident more than anything else.
Focus on the Fundamentals
Some people will want to go back to exactly what they were hurt doing in order to get over it while others will want to avoid where they hurt themselves at all costs, but the best thing you can do is focus on the fundamentals of skiing and snowboarding.
No matter what part of your body you injured, your riding is going to be affected. Even if you broke your wrist your riding will be affected by the way your brain automatically adjusts to protect your wrist when you’re riding and especially when you’re falling. If you try to immediately go back to riding at the level you were riding at when your injury occurred then you will have to adjust on the fly, which could lead to other injuries.
Take the time to learn how your body reacts to skiing or snowboarding by focusing on the fundamentals, especially if you injured a vital body part like your leg or back.
Take your Time
For most people, the only thing that can keep them off of the mountain is an injury, so don’t force yourself to spend more time on the couch by rushing your recovery!