Latest news with #Killington
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Skiing: Michaela Shiffrin faced PTSD in recovery from severe crash
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin in action. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Twice Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a grisly crash during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, in November left her with a puncture wound in her abdomen and severe muscle damage. The American wrapped up her season in March with a record-extending 101st World Cup win but wrote in the Players' Tribune on Friday that the crash in Killington - and another suffered at the beginning of 2024 in Cortina - took a mental toll. "Those two crashes maybe built on one another. I talked with my therapist about that, and she let me know that past trauma, or a history of traumatic events, can sometimes affect your reaction to new traumatic events," wrote Shiffrin, who lost her father suddenly in an accident in 2020. "Maybe when I crashed and got that puncture wound, maybe that was kind of a perfect-storm situation for PTSD to take hold. "But who knows, really. With all this stuff, there's just a tonne of nuance, and so much that we don't know for certain." Mikaela Shiffrin speaks out about PTSD. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Shiffrin, who is loved by American fans and praised by her fellow athletes for her upbeat attitude and resilience, said that getting back in the starting gate has helped the most in overcoming "the visions and the images I kept seeing". She wrote that after putting in the work on her mental health, she felt like herself again. "It was just continuing to get back up to the start gate. Just literally the process of going up the mountain and doing the thing I know how to do, again and again," wrote Shiffrin. "I just needed to keep doing it. Needed to keep reminding myself - proving to myself, really - that the vast majority of times when I am training or racing... nothing terrible happens." - Reuters
New York Times
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Mikaela Shiffrin says she questioned returning to skiing amid PTSD after crash
When Mikaela Shiffrin stood atop Killington Mountain for her second run of the giant slalom in the FIS World Cup race in November, she was considered the greatest alpine skier of all time. By the time she got to the bottom, being pulled in the back of a medical sled and rushed to the hospital after a devastating crash, her career was drastically altered, both physically and mentally. Advertisement In a first-person essay for 'The Players' Tribune' published Friday, Shiffrin shared that the crash, which punctured her side and was a millimeter away from puncturing her colon, left her with psychological hurdles akin to PTSD when she began to mount her comeback. 'On particularly bad days, I'd question my motivation, or whether I still wanted to do this anymore,' she wrote. 'In my head, I'd be saying to myself: You know what, I kind of couldn't care less if I ever race again.' As she initially attempted to return, the 30-year-old winner of three Olympic medals said she felt physically fine and wasn't afraid to get back on skis. But it was mid-run when her mind began to betray her body. 'I'd be trying really hard to be precise with my training runs, and my body just wouldn't do what I wanted it to do,' she said. 'Then, at some points, I'd get these random flashes in my mind. These really grim images. I'd be anticipating crashes. I'd see them in my head. See myself falling and going down. The pain would flash through my body, only this time, it was my neck too. My leg. My colon.' Immediately after November's crash, Shiffrin wrote that she was hit with the most pain she had ever felt, and it was as if someone was stabbing her with a knife and left the blade in her abdomen. When that pain later subsided at the hospital, she said she planned on treating her recovery the same way she had with any other injury. She underwent surgery 12 days after the crash and formulated plans to compete again by the end of winter. But she said amid her focus on the smaller details of the comeback, such as getting in shape and sharpening her technique, she didn't think much about the mental element of her return. On her first runs back on snow, she said skiing felt like running in molasses, or like being chased in a bad dream. Advertisement 'So I just kept sliding turns. Over and over again. And then, the weirdest thing was, a bunch of times I would just stop, right in the middle of a training course,' she wrote. 'Like I'm going through the course, doing my thing, and then, all of a sudden, I'd stop. I didn't have any intention of stopping. I wasn't planning to stop. But I'd stop. I'd slow myself down, and then just … stop. 'It was almost as though I was no longer in control of my body.' Sessions with her therapist have led Shiffrin to believe a previous crash she suffered, at the beginning of 2024 in Cortina, may have acted as a past trauma event which — coupled with the Killington crash — can affect the way she reacts to new traumatic events. After weeks and weeks of working through the processing with her counselor and tracking her symptoms against the PTSD diagnosis chart, Shiffrin said she saw improvements, not only on paper but in the way she felt. Particularly back on the snow. After finishing tenth in her comeback race in January, she pulled out of the World Championships in Austria in February when she and her team realized she wasn't in the right state of mind to race. Then, just a few weeks later, she was back in the victory circle in Italy, celebrating her 100th career World Cup victory. 'To be at the top, at the start gate, feeling all the feelings — nervous, excited, adrenaline, and ready … ready to take it on. And to just have that experience again, where I was racing like before and skiing fast?' Shiffrin wrote, describing her feelings leading up to the comeback win. 'It was like I could breathe again.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fresh Snow Is Currently Blasting Southern Vermont Ski Areas
It's May 22, 2025, but Mother Nature has delivered at least one last helping of snow to ski areas in Southern Mountain Resort took to Instagram to celebrate the occasion with a short clip from their Summit webcam feed. Temperatures are hovering just at freezing, but the heavy flakes are starting to stick as of 12:35 a.m. is also seeing some snow today. The resort officially closed for the winter season on Saturday, May 10, 2025, and was forced to temporarily pause summer operations due to this week's wet, windy, and cold weather. In preparation for up to an inch of rain and perhaps significant snow accumulation up high, Killington has delayed the Bike Park opening to Friday, May 30th, and the Adventure Center until Saturday, May 31st. The golf course is temporarily closed due to course damage from this week's storms, but Killington expects to reopen the course later this Snow appears to be receiving a mixture of rain and snow at higher elevations. The resort's Summit webcam view is obscured due to a thick layer of fog, but a few flakes appear to be accumulating on the green out webcam images of the new snowfall from Stratton (above) and Killington and Mont Snow below. All images captured at approximately 12:30 p.m. EST on May 22, to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. The storm is expected to continue throughout today and into tomorrow, Friday, May 23, 2025. According to OpenSnow, accumulations could total anywhere from 1-3 inches at ski resorts in Southern current storm track has Northern Vermont missing out entirely, but some peaks in New Hampshire above 6,000 feet, including Mt. Washington, could accumulate up to six inches of snow before all is said and for east coast skiers, the only ski resort open in the entire region this late in the spring is Big Snow, the indoor ski slope located in New Jersey just outside of New York City. No matter. New Englanders with a proclivity for backcountry ski touring should be rewarded on the flanks of Mt. Washington in Tuckerman Ravine and snowfall isn't necessarily uncommon on New England's highest peaks, but the phenomenon is certainly worth celebrating as Vermont and New Hampshire most likely won't see winter weather for another five to six you're a New Englander who is planning on venturing up high for fresh turns this weekend, pack a camera and feel free to send me an email with your best shots. We'd love to share them right here on
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Killington Donates $10,000 to Small Ski Area in Need: 'This Is What the Ski Industry Is All About'
Killington, Vermont has donated $10,000 to support Whaleback Mountain, a New Hampshire-based non-profit ski area raising money in the hopes of repairing its broken February, Whaleback Mountain's operations team determined that its lone lift had suffered a gearbox bearing failure. Two weeks later, the ski area announced that it would need $250,000 to fix the lift and maintain off-season operations, asking the broader ski community to pitch in what they Whaleback Mountain, meeting the funding goal was essential. The double lift is the only ropeway that accesses the ski area's summit. Without it, Whaleback Mountain wouldn't be able to offer lift-served top-to-bottom skiing next winter, threatening significant revenue among numerous others, heeded the call. The Vermont ski resort donated the proceeds from its closing day earlier this month, plus an additional bonus gift, producing the $10,000 that was sent to Whaleback Mountain. The gift was appreciated.'This is what the ski industry is all about. Thank you @killingtonmtn & everyone who came out to support the whale!' Whaleback Mountain wrote beneath Killington's social media post announcing the to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. Killington's donation likely helped push the fundraising effort over the line. Over the weekend, Whaleback Mountain shared that it had successfully raised more than $250,000 and stabilized its operations. Repairs on the chairlift will begin by July, the ski area noted in a social media update.'Thank you for believing in this mountain,' Whaleback Mountain the time of writing, Whaleback Mountain's fundraising tracker hadn't yet accounted for the completion of the fundraising goal. However, the tracker did include several stats that, if anything, prove that skiers and snowboarders are always game to support a smaller ski area in need. The donations, according to the tracker, have come from 34 different states and provinces, demonstrating that an international contingent chipped in. On average, the more than 800 donors contributed about $250. Thanks to these donors, Whaleback Mountain's humble two-seater will ride again.
