Sunshine Village, AB: 03/26/07

For today, a complimentary ski host showed me around -- a guy named Niels who moved to Calgary from Denmark when he was three. He manages to rip solidly even after tearing an ACL several years ago (not as a result of skiing) and never having it repaired. I had a tough time keeping up with him on my two healthy ACLs.

Although we didn't get more than a dusting overnight, there were tasty mid-winter leftovers all over the place (while the rest of North America is in spring meltdown mode).

Your Danish friend and I are among the "lucky 10%" who have blown out an ACL but still have full stability in the knee. In my case it occurred on my 3rd day on skis in 1976 but was not diagnosed until I had an MRI for a meniscus tear in the same knee in 1995. The orthopod told me that the stability is maintained by tight patella tendons and that the most famous ACL victim who has stability without one is John Elway.