Monte and his son Ziggy visit me in Park City from Los Angeles each winter. He’s a snowboarder as is his 15-year-old son. Monte is very athletic, lifts every other day, and does yoga regularly. He pays Ziggy $1 for each push up after 50, and Ziggy makes at least $50.  Monte is a captain of a boat in South Bay. He works long nights, night shifts; he’s extremely focused; he carries heavy ropes and equipment. He excels in everything physical.

I always join them at Park City Mountain Resort for a couple of days. I cannot take them to Deer Valley since there’s no snowboarding at Deer Valley.  This winter, their trip was for 3 days, so they wanted to maximize riding time. But there was a cost! None of us expected three hours in the emergency and a direct trip from the emergency room to the airport.

On their 3rd and last day, Matt and his son rode, and I skied. I came home around 2 p.m. He was alert and excited to take his son Ziggy to a new terrain park. He wanted to show Ziggy some new tricks, but he was going to regret it.

It was 3:45 pm – only 15 mins before the mountain closed. Monte jumped off a bump and landed hard shattering his right wrist. He fought to not cry or scream in front of his son. They walked home. 

But I screamed when I saw his crooked wrist. There was obvious internal bleeding. His bone was about to rupture through his skin. The emergency room x-rays confirmed broken bones. They put him on a sling and gave him a few painkillers that he didn’t take. 

Their scheduled midnight to Los Angeles got them home, and Monte had surgery the next week. Now his right wrist contains a lot of hardware.  

Here’s Monte’s tip: Wear wrist guards under or over a glove. Burton has them for $20 a pair under glove type. There are gloves for kids that have them built in. So you don’t lose pieces. 

Here’s my tip: Try new tricks in the beginning or middle of the day before you’re exhausted. Don’t try new terrain at the end of the day. Anything after 2 p.m. should be cruising and gently riding the wave of trails you’re comfortable on. You have my permission to quit early.