It was a cold, bluebird day in the Colorado Mountains. Three friends decided to ski the sky chutes – backcountry skiing off the back of peak 6 in Breckenridge, across the way from Copper mountain.

After dropping one car off on the Copper side, the friends drove to Breckenridge, parked their car, and took the Kensho lift up to peak 6. After a small hike up to the summit, the friends went off the backside, hiked down past the windblown areas, and found their line.

The snow was amazing. The peacefulness was palpable. The beauty of the backcountry was breathtaking. It couldn’t have been a better day.

One friend would route find, signal to the next, and so on and so on. Powder showered them with each turn. The day had Epic written all over it.

And then, she fell. The left tip of her ski skirted under a mound of powder, yanking her knee one way while her body twisted the other. While she didn’t hear a pop, she knew something was truly wrong. A loud yelp escaped her lips and she tumbled into the snow, still strapped into her skis. Her husband, following her lead, skied down and aided her to her feet. Not wanting to call SAR (Search and Rescue), she skied gingerly down to the leader of the group, going extremely slow, only able to make left turns. Back at the car, after an excruciating journey out, she rested her knee and they made plans to grab a well deserved beer. Oh, what an Epic day it was indeed.

 

So, that’s what happened last Sunday, in a nutshell. Fast forward a few days, and I found myself on an Orthopedics exam table, being pricked with a massively huge needle, used to drain my hugely swollen injured knee.  X-rays showed no brake, but revealed a tumor (most likely benign) formed from a mass of cartilage, not caused by my injury. It’s been a rough week.

But, I’m staying positive because there are many things to be thankful for, despite the fall. While I don’t know if I’ll need surgery, if it’s extremely serious, or what the hell is going on with the tumor, I have a massive support system, have my health (besides the dumb knee), and live in a state with amazing beer. I will not let a small set-back get me down. I vow to take care of myself, no matter the outcome, with a renewed sense of purpose, a grateful heart, and a sky’s the limit mindset. Cheers to eating, drinking, and being merry today, for tomorrow is promised to no one.