Little things, one big toe, means a lot

Top of the world: 3203 meters!!

It has been 1 year since that day. The day that my toes got frozen. It was a very cold month last year January. Temperatures between -20/-25 Celsius were measured and I was about to start the last part of my ski instructor course. It would be a week full of powder skiing and learning about snow and avalanches. 

The week started at -20 that day. If you spent a lot of hours in the snow you get used to the cold in a certain way, but with -20 you can put as many clothes on as you want, it still remains cold - very cold. We skied the whole day and had a warm-up break in between. At the end of the day I felt that my toes had become very cold and cramped. It was a big relief when I got to take the boots off and it took about half an hour before my toes felt ‘normal’ again. The next day we went up the mountain again and just like the day before it was about -20 degrees. 

My course leader came up with the idea to climb to the highest point of the glacier: 3200 meters. We would climb up with our skis attached to our backpacks. The climb up was spectacular, scary but fun and we would be greatly rewarded with an awesome panoramic view and descent. Once we arrived on the top the view was incredible but the surprise that was waiting for us there was a bit unpleasant. We had planned to ski down from there but once we reached the summit, it turned out that the first part, where we were supposed to ski down, was full of rocks. Skiing down was just impossible. By then it was about 2pm and the descent would take us at least another hour and skiing down was not an option at the risk of serious trouble. At this point my toes already felt already funny cold but there would be no opportunity to take the boots off at any point until we reached the bottom of the mountain.  

Taken from the top

By the time we got to take of our boots it was about 4:30. I thought that my toes would need half an hour again to warm-up. like the day before. But.... I noticed quite soon that it toke more than half an hour. Once I arrived in the hotel I wanted to put my feet in a hot bath to stimulate the blood circulation. This was impossible, as there was no way my feet could resist warm water, it was hurting like hell. Soon after that my toes started to “tingle” as well. It felt like someone was sticking hot needles in my toes. I knew at this moment that it may have been maybe to much that day. I spoke with my course leader and he told me to get two buckets: one filled with hot and the other with cold water, again to stimulate the circulation. However this was still impossible and now my feet started to swell dramatically  as well. After dinner we went to the hospital but the doctors could not say exactly how bad my toes got frozen due to the swelling. I was sent home again and was told to come back in 2 days to have it checked again and I was advised not(!) to ski. I spoke with my course leader and he told me I was allowed to skip 1 day and then still do the exams at the end of the week. The next day I spent in the hotel and by the end of the day, even though my toes felt far from normal and they were still swollen, I thought I felt some improvement. As I was only allowed to skip 1 day and I was determined to pass the exam that week I decided to skip the appointment in the hospital the next day. I would regret this decision later, very much...... 

At some parts you would sink until your waste in the snow

The next day we took a break in the middle of the day and my toes felt more or less “all right”. I took my boots of in the restaurant and decided to have a look at them. What I saw at that point was that on the big toe of my left foot a black/purple blister had risen. As stubborn as I was and with the exam in the back of my head I decided to ignore the blister and continue skiing. 3 hours later we finished the day and could take my boots off. I took off my sock and realised that I never should have skipped the appointment at the hospital and that the week was over for me. The feeling in my toes had completely disappeared, and the toes of my left foot had turned dark black and purple. By this time I knew my toes were in a very bad condition and I went straight to the hospital. The first thing I was told, once I arrived, was how stupid I could have been by going up again. This all was caused by a a new pair of ski boots (flex...) that were too tight around my foot. 

The only thing we had to hold on to when going up was the rope

It was a scenario which I never had thought about, shit, shit, shit! It was something I had never really heard about and as far I was concerned frozen toes is something that only happens in films. 

It turned out that the nerves in my toes were damaged and the reason why they got so swollen was because, similar to a bruise, the body wants to protect itself. 

The main reason for all this were my ski boots and of course the extreme low temperatures. Ski boots are made of hard plastic and they have a certain stiffness. Depending on the type of boot. When plastic is exposed to cold it shrinks!!!! My boots are very tight and stiff already and when I normally wear them they fit exactly around my feet which skis very comfortable and gives a lot of stability. But, in combination with the cold, the plastic shrank and eventually it cut off all the blood circulation in my feet. 

I have learned a lot from this injury. It took me about 4 weeks before I was able to ski again and 9 months before my toes looked normal again. In the month following the injury, I lost all my toe nails and in about 8 months they were all normal again. For the next 10-15 years my feet will be extremely sensitive to cold, the toe that got hit the most looks funny and is still bigger. 

My advice: never underestimate nature and cold temperatures. I have added a picture of my toe 3 days after it happened. It can be shocking for some people so if you have a weak stomach I advice not to look.

I am happy to ski again, I learned a lesson.

I'm happy I still have the big guy