going places
NICE AND KNEESY
THE DOLOMITES / LETTER FROM AMERICA
With quiet, gentle slopes and marvellous mountain restaurants, the Dolomites proved the perfect place to strap on the skis again after a knee replacement
by MIKE GILL
Mountain high
Mike Gill
(below)
chose Corvara in the Dolomites to get back on the slopes
My
wife tells everyone that she married me as she loved the way I skied – though I’d like to think there were other reasons. Unfortunately, as I approached my 60th year, my skiing star was waning as sporting overindulgence during my youth caught up with me. An arthritic knee, with little remaining cartilage, was the main culprit. Yes, I could still ski, but the constant discomfort, the swelling and far too many painkillers meant I needed to consider a knee replacement.
Medical friends advised holding out as long as possible, bearing in mind that the life span of a new knee is around 15 to 20 years. On a recent holiday to Mexico in December 2022 we had to run for a connecting flight, and I simply couldn’t. My time had come – it had to be done.