Sidelined for the Season

Jackson’s Resi Stiegler Hurt in Crash

By Chris Hansen, 1-03-08

	Resi Stiegler crashes through safety fencing during a GS race in Lienz, Austria. (Reuters)

Some bad news for Jackson Hole ski racing fans this past weekend. Local favorite and hometown hero Resi Stiegler was badly hurt in a crash during a giant slalom race in Lienz, Austria, last Friday, December 28. Resi went down after catching an edge on her uphill ski, knocking it into the downhill ski and sending her down on her left hip, sliding full speed into and through the safety gates and into the brush on the side of the run. According to reports, it took half an hour to extricate Stiegler from the side of the run, during some of which she was unconscious.

The crash can be seen here in a YouTube clip:

There was some immediate questioning of the effectiveness of the safety gates on the side of the run. However, race director Siegried Vergeiner defended the fencing, insisting, “The gates at that point of the course were installed properly and eyed up by FIS officials prior to the race.”

Stiegler suffered season-ending injuries to her right knee and left arm. According to a report in the Jackson Hole News&Guide this week, her injuries were more serious than first reported over the weekend. Stiegler…

“tore the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in her right knee and sustained a fracture to her right tibial plateau, located at the top of the leg bone behind the knee joint. She also broke two bones—the radius and ulna—in her left arm, making it impossible to use regular crutches.”

While first reported that Stiegler’s injuries may only sideline her for two months, it is now reported she will stay at the renowned Steadman Hawkins orthopedic clinic in Vail where she is undergoing surgery and rehabilitation for the “foreseeable future,” according to the News&Guide. It is expected Stiegler will return to Jackson Hole to continue her rehabilitation as soon as she is able.

What a disappointment for this up-and-coming skier and all the fans who were hoping for the best for Resi this season. Stiegler is currently the US national champion GS skier, though the slalom is considered her specialty. She was on pace to make this her best season yet, continuing to make her mark in the world of ski racing. She was ranked sixth in the slalom and 20th in overall World Cup rankings entering Friday’s race.

Lienz is the hometown of Resi’s father, 1964 Olympic gold medal winner Pepi Stiegler, and a sister city of Jackson, Wyoming. Resi is warmly welcomed whenever she races there.

If you care to wish her well, messages of support can be sent in care of the Steadman Hawkins Clinic, 181 West Meadow Drive, Suite 400, Vail, CO 81657.

Get well, Resi!

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