Vertical-Life
Amazing ground fall recovery
Eight months after a 15 m ground fall, Rannveig Aamodt has done a personal personal best with three 8a's at Railay.
All amazing pictures by Terje Aamodt
| On the April 26th, 2012, I took a 50-foot ground-fall while climbing in Geyekbayiri, Turkey. It left me with 13 broken bones, including three vertebrae in my back, two points in my pelvis, multiple bones and ligaments in both ankles, and a shattered elbow. |
Since that moment, my drive to take back my life has been what kept me going. I trained dedicatedly, and received the help of supportive people from all over the world, who have been cheering me on, sharing their stories, and offering to help. |
| Rehab has been a full time job for the last 8 months, with 6-8 hours of workout time most days. I´ve been moving every body part possible, starting by lifting weights after a week and a half in the hospital, with the one arm that I was able to move. Since then I feel like I´ve been balancing on a knife-edge; trying to train as effectively as possible, without causing reinjury. But in the end, despite the hours of training, losing my physical independence, and the fear of recovery failure, the most difficult challenge has been to deal with the ceaseless pain. |
(c) Dag Hagen |
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Today I still struggle a lot with the pain, but it has become part of my every day life. Rock climbing is a place where I can forget for a little while; I almost feel more handicapped on the ground than on the wall. Now I´m in Thailand, sending 8a´s, and I feel that I´m getting my paycheck for the countless hours of workouts and pain I´ve endured in the last eight months. |
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Thank you Stian Christophersen for coaching me how to approach getting back into climbing, and for teaching me the exercises that have enabled me to continue. And a million thanks to my sponsors: Sterling Rope, Red Chili and Wild Country for being unbelievable supportive through the whole process. |