Our mate Craig Buist flicked us an email a while back telling us the shocking sh*t he went through while out on a day's skiing. While our jacket may or may not have played a part in his survival, we're bloody stoked he made it out alright. Craig's still doing the hard yards after his accident so best we be sorting him out in the future and sending some good juju his way.
Have a read of Craig's recollection of that day below. Trust us, it's worth the read.
Cactus make great, tough gear that builds character as they wear. Like their owners, they take years to wear out. I've got quite a few Cactus products, and I'll stand by what I say. They become prized possessions - many with tales to tell. Recently, some of my gear was taken from me. But, not by dirty thieving gypsy bar stewards, but by the necessity of what could have been a very life-changing event.
I was skiing at Ohau on Wed 07 Aug, donning my Cactus Down Jacket, the Michelin Man of Jackets. I was feeling warm and snug surrounded by trillions of down feathers (according to Ohau Lodge), enclosed in a tough outer canvas. Mum's words, ‘need to wrap you in cotton wool’, spring to mind. According to my Garmin, I had skied 24 runs, with another 10 to go, to get my record at Ohau - achievable! Down the middle, side to side, the sun was shining on a patch of fresh show above the base of the chairlift so, off I went to fuel my needs. Traversed below the ridge, skiing down sections to get to my entry point to my…Nirvana!
I was slowing up to make sure I had the right angle and made my last turn before entering. Little did I know, however, that there was a small rock just below the surface that caught my downhill edge and over I went. Onto rocks, but not just small rocks, a big MF of a rock with a steep drop-off.
I knew the 1st hit would hurt and it did, right on my noggin and the side of my body (lucky I was wearing my a lid). What came next was another roll and another thud, before liftoff. This is the moment that feels like an eternity (but probably isn't), where you have time to wonder what you’ll hit next. Will it be soft? Will it be hard? Will it hurt? Will I see my family again? I started singing 'Free Falling' by Tom Petty until, bang, another solid thud to the head and body.
White lights, immense pain, and as I hit more rocks I started sliding on snow…I had reached my Nirvana, but not in the way I intended.
Still conscious. How? I do not know! I managed to dig in with my boots and one pole that was left to stop myself from sliding any further. I sat there, doing my personal WOF. What’s my name, DOB, where was I, what just happened? All answered correctly…I think! I wriggled my toes, wriggled my fingers – I had complete pins and needles and no movement on the left upper side. Fu*k my left arm/shoulder hurts!
Breathing was difficult as I was winded and my neck was sore – I was in agony. OK settle down, calm yourself, get comfortable and supported by the white stuff (no, not that white stuff). The thought of climbing back up to retrieve my skis and other pole (which I couldn't see anyway) and then ski down was in the far distant past. I needed help!
Phone. Where's my phone? Ah in my outer jacket pocket. I pulled it out, to my surprise not smashed, functional, and even got a signal. Must have been protected by the jacket! I called a mate and had to leave a message. I then called the lodge, who called Ski Patrol, so Ski Patrol called me. Eventually, Chris from Ski Patrol found me.
Chris, amongst other questions, asked if I was cold, (it had been about 45) which I answered “naw, I'm roasty toasty…must be the jacket!” About 30 minutes later I'm in the blood bath heading down the hill with Flo at the helm and Matt taking up the ropes at the rear. Big shout out to the three of them!
I was still warm as a furnace - that jacket again!
Fast forward to lying on the floor of the medical/ops room at Ohau, I was accompanied by familiar faces who kept up the humour and banter. I bloody refused whisky as a painkiller - must have been the bang to the head!
Time to check for injuries. My helmet was done, with a few good dents. We checked I could wiggle my toes and when it was time to check my upper body’s condition, the jacket needed to come off. I refused, it wasn’t that I'm as tight as a witch’s crantham or a Scottish of Dutch descent, but because it friggin' hurt!
“We'll have to cut it off”, they said.
“WWWWHHHAAAAAATTTT, no not my Cactus jacket! Oh, okay then, but can you please do it carefully? Cut down the seams if possible, and save the feathers. I'll take it to the next Beers & Repairs night, and see if it extends to building a new jacket that would look like a full-frontal lobotomy!”
I hadn’t shed a tear until that point. But then the first feather floated up, then the second, and third…pass me the tissues! They put the jacket in a bag so I could keep it for insurance purposes, but later had to get rid of it due to feathers going everywhere! Do you know what I think happened? I think Mike & Louise at Ohau Lodge replenished about 50 pillows. So, next time you stay at the lodge, that's not your pillow, it's mine!
With the jacket removed and other layers cut off as well do you wanna know what they found? Nothing. No bruising, not a flesh wound, nothing. Must have been that jacket!
I was later airlifted to the Christchurch Hospital (Thank you Otago Rescue Helicopters). After a CT, an MRI, lots of X-rays, and 4 broken vertebrae (C6, T1, T3 & T4), there wasn’t a bruise in sight. I honestly, hand on heart, think if I had been wearing one of my shell jackets, I would have been a lot worse off and would still be in the hospital with more serious injuries.
That Cactus Down Jacket had been my toughest down jacket in the world. It had no rips, except man-made by scissors, it kept me warm and wrapped me in air and feathers that cushioned the impact. I'm not endorsing that this jacket will save your life, but it went a long, long way to helping me be more comfortable in what was a pretty scary situation. And it’s pretty good at keeping you warm when you’re watching early-morning hockey matches!
Thank fu*kityfu*k for making that jacket!
