Hi Stephen,

Thanks for keeping your blog, its a good diversion from my current horizontal life. I am writing to ask you about your experience with dealing with your injuries after your accident on Mt. Owen. I have not-so-recently acquired some injuries from a fall I took, and they are especially slow to respond to treatment. I have developed some residual back pain that occasionally progresses to the point of spasm, and a torn hamstring that does not seem to want to heal. It has been almost 4 months since the fall, and I am currently limited to yoga as my physical activity. While nowhere near the injuries you sustained, I wanted to ask your perspective on dealing with this forced inactivity. How did you cope, and what strategies seemed to help? Thanks for your time.

-V

Hi V,

I can relate to your being injured and know it is challenging. First thought is yoga and hamstring injury do not mix. I would guess your hamstring and lower back are all tied together and causing you the suffering. I suggest trying deep tissue massage on your psoas. This will likely relieve your back pain and put less pressure on your hamstrings. Only my intuition/thoughts based on what you are telling me.

To answer your questions about coping with forced inactivity…I did not do it very well. I was so injured at first that I was in hospital for several days on morphine and pretty out of it, next I was out of surgery and all jacked from the knee surgeries (both knees…left ACL (with a bunch of meniscus damage cut and sewn) and right reconstructed MCL (which was pretty much obliterated) and meniscus which was torn as well as patella relocated (it was on the side of my knee, they discovered only after viewing the MRI due to all the swelling). My back had two compression fractures also. The plan was to have the ACL / PCL in the right knee, the one that was dislocated, repaired a couple months after the surgeries mentioned above.

My right knee after my second round of surgeries to repair the ACL and PCL.

I did watch several movies and had my mother come out for three weeks to help me! Thanks Mom! Also worked on a story for Men’s Journal about the experience.

What I did was focus on what I could do physically. As soon as they let me go to Physical Therapy I went (with Percocet), worked as hard and as often as I could, came home and went to sleep, repeating 2x in a day when I eventually had the strength. I was as positive as I could be…thankful to be alive after such an event (I do not call it an accident because I do not thing there is such a thing…it is a term we use to describe cause and effect that we do not like). Fact is I was on slope when it avalanched. Avalanche hit me. I fell over 2,000 feet, sustaining injuries. Spent night out without shelter and in only a long underwear shirt. Took things one step at a time. Prioritized really well, which was not too hard at the time and is not difficult for me when climbing or doing physical things. Other things are more challenging for me to prioritize and execute, that is for sure! Survived night out. Got rescued. Was stoked to be in emergency room getting hot blankets from hot nurses!

I also thought a lot about risk and risk management.

My suggestion is for you to try meditation (audio guided meditation with John Travis here), or to find a way, if you haven’t, to get quite inside your mind so you can settle and feel what is inside of you. You have the answers inside of you already, waiting for you to feel them. The next step is to then trust what you are feeling. Not an easy task, but a worthy one! The mind likes to get in the way through distractions/neurotic thoughts. Let the distractions go and get back to the settled place, like a pond after a stone (neurotic thought) has made ripples. In time the pond will be still, like your mind. This comes with practice. That is why meditation is called a practice. Like anything new, you will improve with practice.

The other suggestion is for you to trust your body. It is, like your heart/inner self/sixth sense, full of the answers you seek. The challenge is to listen.

To be gentle with yourself and not hammer down that you are a wimp or weak for being injured/not healing as fast as you would like (a judgment). You are healing at the perfect rate. That is a fact. Cause and effect. Be gentle. Not easy, like much of what I am writing about, but ultimately very worthy! You will benefit, as will those around you. So be selfish and the world will benefit!

I have found that keeping my back strong through regular exercise (in mountains or gym at Mountain Athlete) has kept the bulging/herniated disks at bay. They may come back eventually and if/when they do, I will try to take it in stride and not beat myself up about this or that and just except the reality of my situation. Life is nicer this way, for me and those around me.

May you be well,

Stephen

www.stephenkoch.com

If you are interested in strength training for your sport, whatever sport, check out Rob’s Blog at www.mtnathlete.com. He takes your questions about your sports and answers them. If he can’t answer them, he finds the answer from someone in his vast network.

Mountain Athlete (www.mtnathlete.com) recently opened up shop in Boulder, CO and is being headed up by Connie Sciolino, a smart, strong and outstanding coach with a strong medical background, who is married to a derelict and friend of mine…Tom (who has climbed the North Face of the Eiger!). So if you are in the Denver or Boulder area and looking for a different way to train or get stronger, go watch a session and see if you think it is for you! I love it!

“Kick in the Nuts, III”

10 Rounds
30 second hang
30 second burpees (If the athlete doesn’t get at least 8x, add a round)

10 Rounds
1 minute System Board Crimps
1 minute plank walk up

10 Rounds
1 mintute HIT Strip
Run 200m

Comments:

More brutal work for my climbers. I’m working to get them to the wall/system board/hang, etc., breathing hard.

Here’s what Stephen Koch had to say about “Kick in the Nuts III” –

“Thank you for today’s workout. I liked how it combined heart thumping cardio with hand and forearm training.

“During the latter rounds of the warm up I could hear my heart pumping after the burpees as I was on the hang board, and it was intense to hang on towards the end of the minute during the last two rounds.

“The crimp workout was absolutely perfect duration and intensity for me. I was very near failure at 50 seconds of the 10th round. And the planks were really wicked, especially the first couple rounds until warmed up!

“As you know I pretty much only run at Mountain Athlete due to all of my knee injuries. But I enjoyed the quick burst of a run around the building, into the sunshine and was able to push it throughout the 10 laps. The HIT strip was more mental than anything. I was thinking I needed to get on the system board until you said to just try, which I did. Thanks for that. It worked out well and I found my groove in the third or fourth round of the ten. It was intense jumping immediately from the run (running all the way to the HIT strips) onto the HIT strips. My blood was flowing nicely, to say the least!

“I find getting immediately into the next exercise without thinking about it or waiting for the clock to hit the next 5 or 10 second mark is better training, both physically but especially mentally. At some point I would like to do one of the timed workouts with Curtis P’s, where jumping immediately into the next exercise is very helpful for a lower time. Again…good mental training.

“Well, we finally have mostly clear skies and sunshine today for the first time in a month! So I look forward to a mountain bike ride later today, after the trails dry out.

“Thanks for the great workouts Coach!

- sk

A dreadlocked freshman named Johnny asked a couple of questions during the q and a about moving “out west” and taking time off from college. I could tell he knew the answers to his questions already…he is ready to pack up and move out west to live the mountain lifestyle. It is a matter of him getting quite and truly listening to what is inside his heart. Letting the mind settle down enough to see deep down.

I am touched when I inspire folks to listen to their heart. Whether it is to leave college and move out west to ski and climb or it is to go for your doctorate degree. Connecting with other humans is the coolest part of speaking to groups and sharing my stories and adventures.

The weather is warm and rainy in southern New Hampshire at the moment. It looks like it will cool down a bit, which will be good for climbing. I am hopefully heading up to Cannon Cliff to climb a couple routes tomorrow with Alan Catabriga. Cold temps will help!

stephen-koch-onestepfurther-pdf

Below are some photographs of the avalanche debris pile from the avalanche that hit the Bridger Restaurant at the top of the Gondola at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Mother nature…simply amazing!

I have complied and will discuss with JHMR and hopefully have them back up. I believe transparency is the best thing. Let’s tell the truth and look at the facts and move forward.

Have fun, be safe and enjoy!

Please contact me if you would like to discuss having me speak for your corporate group, university group or school group. I customize my presentations to meet your goals.

I am also available to share stories with small groups or families on vacation in Jackson Hole apres ski/snowboarding or over dinner.

I am available for hire as a backcountry snowboard instructor and guide, backcountry ski guide, mountaineering instructor and guide, avalanche safety instructor and ice climbing instructor and guide.

Please email inquiries to me at stephen (at) stephenkoch.com or call 307.699.0202

It didn’t dawn on me until after I fell that these two things happened, and in hindsight, may have been signs of something else to come (the fall). My partner for today’s climbing was Freddie Botour, a rancher and cowboy living in Big Piney, WY. Freddie is not only a rancher but also a hippie. The kind of hippie who hides his hair in fear, fear of business associates realizing that he isn’t exactly like they are (REPUBLICAN). Not that there aren’t Republican hippies. Things go more easily with him fooling the people he works with by hiding his hair. But isn’t he just fooling himself by hiding who he is? Debatable…

Since we didn’t have screws to protect us on the ice, we opted to do a dry-tooling route that had only one very small piece of ice (that is why I am not calling it a mixed route (mixed rock and ice) but a dry-tooling (a rock route climbed with crampons and ice axes vs. rock shoes and hands/fingers). This route had no evidence of having been climbed before and was not the most aesthetic line on the wall, but looked adequately protectable (with rock gear to hopefully prevent hitting the ground or ledges in the event of a fall) and would do the trick to get us climbing. The route had a crux (most difficult section) that involved slightly overhanging rock with minimal gear for protection, that I pulled through with much huffing and puffing and a grunt or two to a big ledge where I could get some descent gear and a nice shake (rest). I continued up over a 15 foot section that offered no cracks for protection. Eventually I was able to get a fist size SLCD (spring loaded caming device or CAM) in and worked my way up another small overhanging section. Here I placed a green Alien (small CAM) and climbed up to the only ice on the route, a small blob that was not even large enough to place an ice screw in for protection. I was about 15-20 feet out from my last piece of gear and wanted something in before making the next moves.

Falling!

I fiddled trying to place a cam in a crack that looked good but I couldn’t see it very well. Once placed I gave it a test pull. As I did this, the cam came shooting out with no resistance due to ice on the walls of the crack. This threw me off balance and my ice picks (attached to my ice axes) which were precariously placed to begin with came out of the ice and rock. It was at this moment that I knew I was going to fall and managed to yell down to Freddie, “Falling!” before hurtling backwards into space. I don’t know how, but was soon upside down looking at the creek far below thinking “This is how people die,” and “I am going to hit the rock ledge below and my head and neck are going to get smashed against the rock as the weight of my body smashes into them at high speed.”

Then came the pain.
The pain was on my “groin area,” which had somehow gotten pinched under the weight of the rope as it came taught with my 200 lbs. plus momentum until I stopped! On the one hand I was relieved I was not in a crumpled pile on the ledge, but this was downright painful in a fully conscious kind of way. I quickly righted myself and asked to be lowered. As I was being lowered I did a body check to assess the damage. My right elbow hurt but did not seem to be broken and besides the “groin” injury, that was it!

I think what happened when I initially fell was I pushed off from the wall or more likely, hit the first ledge about 10′ below me, and pushed off with my feet, hence ending up upside down. Falling is not normally good, especially with crampons and ice axes on your person. I felt very fortunate to not be more injured and the pain in my groin area went away after several minutes. I was a bit apprehensive to take a peek at my pecker, but when I finally did there was a large hematoma on the end. OUCH! Way more purple than is normal, at least for me.

Freddie was game for a go and went up to my high point before deciding he was too pumped to continue. He added a piece of protection before being lowered. I put my “fruit” boots (lightweight ice climbing boots with permanently attached crampons) on and climbed the route to the top without event, completing the first ascent of “Purple Koch.”

I felt wonderful getting back on the sharp end after taking such a fall. This leads me to believe that climbing is a good thing for me and my soul. I am at peace with what happens in the mountains based on the decisions I make. Nature has an indifference of my presence that makes me feel simultaneously humbled and emboldened, knowing that I am totally responsible for my actions, dealing with the laws of nature (gravity, cold, etc), not of man.

One of the best things about climbing in Granite Canyon is the soak in the Hot Springs on the way out! And this time I brought BEER!

GRANITE CANYON ICE CLIMBING INFORMATION

The best ice climbing in the Jackson Hole area is located up Granite Canyon, 12 miles from the turnoff of 189/191 and 2 miles past Granite Hot Springs. GC is located off of Hoback Canyon, about 20 minutes from Jackson. When the snow closes the road one must snowmobile the 10 miles into the hot springs then ski about 2 miles, cross Granite Creek, and get to the wonderful wall that is home to the greatest concentration of ice climbing around these parts. There are only a couple of routes that touch down and are rated Grade 5. The rest of the routes are mixed in nature, meaning that one must climb rock to get to the ice or climb a mixture of rock and ice. Gear is natural, so bring your rack and bring your sack. The rock quality is quite “variable,” with some good and some questionable. There is a lower band of the limestone that makes the stone up the South Fork near Cody seem downright good. There are several corners and cracks that are climbed to the top with anchors on trees or bushes. To date there are approximately 8 routes with potential for more. Bolts are not permitted as it lies within the Wilderness Boundary. If you want more information or photos, drop a note. Again, it is a treat to soak in the hot springs after a day of ice climbing! The Hot Springs closes at around 5 p.m., so you need to be out early to soak in the big pay pool. The other option for soaking is to walk across the pool drainage, past the propane tank and sign to the small pool below the waterfall. This is good for up to about 4 people and is not too deep. I like to go from the cold creek to the hot springs. I once did this, alone, repeatedly and was staying in the cold for over 5 minutes. I pushed it a little far when I had to crawl on all fours as I was convulsing with hypothermia with seized muscles. Once I dragged my self into the hot water I was still seriously shaking for a good 5 minutes until my core temperature warmed.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger…” – Friedrich Nietzsche

• “May I be happy”
• “May I be peaceful”
• “May I be healthy”
• “May I be free from (inner and outer) harm”
• “May I have ease (of being)”
• “May I be free (from suffering)”

The “I” is both Axl and I. I don’t think he gets the I yet because he says “Axl” sometimes. Then we say metta for “mommy,” then for teachers, friends and family and finally for all sentient beings. I give Metta to myself first so I am in a more peaceful and loving space and more open to doing Metta for others after I have first practiced with myself as the recipient.

I like praying these words and in that order. They all add up to freedom and happiness. If one is happy and peaceful but not healthy, their not being healthy will most likely not be much of an issue. The inner harm that I am asking to be free fromis self harm, through my thoughts, words and deeds. I am all of my thoughts, words and actions/deeds. I reap what I sew, so I am asking to be free from that inner and outer harm. This is not easy for me. Loving myself can be very challenging. Axl, my son, helps me realize that I am lovable. So does my wife. They give me much unconditional love and I am honored and humbled by it. At times I feel I am failing them by not making a wage that can sustain us here in Jackson Hole. It was much easier to get by financially as a single man. That was also several years ago, when things were less expensive.

I have been doing odd jobs to make money due to it being the off season for climbing guiding, the real estate market is way down and dropping, with more inventory arriving daily and JH is a fairly expensive place to live, especially when you consider the average wage. There is an abundance of people to do the work for little money because folks want to be in this beautiful place and are willing to sacrifice for it.

I am tired and it would be wise to sleep before waking up early with Axl again. Mommy comes home tomorrow after a week in NYC visiting friends. It was a great opportunity and time for Axl and me to bond. I have  a wonderful boy and am blessed. I don’t know how happy or peaceful I am at the moment, but I am healthy, and am very grateful for that.

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be healthy.

May you be free from inner and outer harm.

May you have ease of being.

May you be free from suffering.