14erskiers.com

February 4, 2020 Brittany Walker Konsella

Unlucky Lucky: Skiing Again!

At the end of the appointment, the doctor sat me down and said, “Let’s talk about skiing.” In my head I said, “I thought you’d never ask!” But, I refrained. He asked, “Do you even want to ski this year?” I nodded my head in silent response, but inside I was screaming, “Oh hell yeah!” Then he asked, “Do you have a seasons pass?” I nodded my head again and mumbled something about buying it before the accident and just keeping it because I thought I’d be skiing in spring for sure. Then he said, “I think you should get out and ski. I think it will help you mentally.” Yep, this doc knows me, or at least knows my type. Of course, there was the whole spiel about starting out slow, on groomers only, etc. But, I already knew this. It’s not like I haven’t been through 3 ACL surgeries before.

Reviews - Gear & Other

January 6, 2020 Frank Konsella

Gear Review: Smith 4D MAG Goggles

OK, goggles don’t sound that interesting and at this point it’s true that there are a lot of good ones out there. But the Smith 4D MAG goggles are actually pretty different- possibly even revolutionary. 4D presumably stands for a fourth dimension, but the basic idea of the goggles are that they add a significant amount of peripheral vision.

Miscellaneous

January 3, 2020 Brittany Walker Konsella

My 2020 Bucket List

Last year I started an annual tradition – my yearly bucket lists. As I mentioned in my 2019 post, the term can sound so morbid. How many things can one cross off the list before you die? It’s the “before you die” part that gives “Bucket List” the negative connotation. But, Google puts it in a little better words defining bucket list as “a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.” Yet, in 2019 the bucket list became even more real to me…. because, well, I almost died. And I realized that I have so many things that I still want to do. The saying is true, when you’re life flashes before you, you don’t regret the things you did do, but you regret the things you didn’t do.

Backcountry Skiing Reviews - Gear & Other

December 29, 2019 Brittany Walker Konsella

Outdoor Retailer Highlight: Black Diamond JetForce Pro – Now Modular!

Let’s face it. Avalanche airbags are expensive. And they’re heavy. Not to mention that traveling with them on planes can be a a real hassle – some models of airbags can’t travel on planes or you have to discharge a canister of pressurized air and find some place to refill it, or buy a new one. And let’s talk about deployment – how many times have you pulled your airbag? Maybe 1-5 times a year? Did you ever have a deployment fail? How do you know your airbag is actually working and that you aren’t carrying all this extra weight for nothing? And how do you actually practice deploying an airbag? The Black Diamond JetForce Pro has solved a lot of these problems.

Reviews - Gear & Other

December 9, 2019 Frank Konsella

Gear Review: LEKI Tour Stick Vario Carbon Ski Poles

When folding poles first came out I played with them a little bit and quickly determined that they weren’t for me- they were simply too flexy. The connections added too much slop, so even a little bit of pressure would make the pole bow like a bow and arrow.

Gimps

December 2, 2019 Brittany Walker Konsella

Where I Am Now….

To most people, I appear healed. It would take the average person to notice the subtle things, like how I can’t turn my head all the way, and how much I have trouble with using my arms above my head to get things off a top rack or shelf. To most, I walk fine, I talk fine, I smile fine, I have a few extra scars but so what…. I am healed but not healed.

Today, it has been 3.5 months since I nearly died under the wheels of my car – now named Voldemort after giving me a large “Harry Potter” scar, among dozens of other injuries….

Gimps Trauma Incident

August 8, 2019 Brittany Walker Konsella

Unlucky Lucky – Part 4 – My journey home

Back in the hospital, a doctor had told me that I would be there for up to weeks, and would probably spend some time in a rehab facility upon discharge too. No one was with me when I spoke to him, but I wish they had been. It was maybe that conversation that drove me the most… I told him, “I’m strong. You just wait and see. I’m going to surprise you.”

Perhaps I surprised nearly everyone by my quick recovery given the extent of my injuries…. everyone except for myself 🙂

Gimps Trauma Incident

August 2, 2019 Brittany Walker Konsella

Unlucky Lucky – Part 3 – The most painful surgery

On Monday night, I was alone in my room and my spine surgeon came in to visit with me. Some surgeons can be weird, and admittedly, this was one of them. He said that this surgery was going to be painful – more than the last spine surgery, that it might make me worse, and that he would pray for me. I’m sure he was going from and “under-expect but over-perform” standpoint. But, his words didn’t inspire confidence in any way. I would have preferred to hear something like, “You know, there are risks with this surgery, but I have had overwhelming success in similar surgeries” – Or something along those lines. Instead, his words were making me squeamish and more nervous than I already was.

Gimps Trauma Incident

July 31, 2019 Brittany Walker Konsella

Unlucky Lucky Part 2 – A story of trauma recovery

I was thankful when they decided that I would undergo femur surgery that day. From what I understand, the surgery was pretty quick – a couple of hours. And then, I remember them saying to me post-op, “Your leg is now weight-bearing as tolerated.” What? That’s impossible? I’d known over a dozen people to have broken their femurs too, and none of them were allowed to put significant weight on it for 6 weeks. How could this be? But, it was what it was. It didn’t take me long to be determined for the next step…. I wanted to walk again.