January 1, 2009 Vertigo

Thanks for the great replies. That helps. It sounds as if my diminished visual acuity is a big part of the issue. I wore glasses the other day and they helped. I think i am going to invest in a good pair of prescription sunglasses. (probably work for map reading on a glacier as well.)

Over the years I have suffered from this malady ("ski sickness" (sorry Sky)) twice and both times I was literally throwing up. This led me to do some research and I discovered this article back then and found here :


Häusler R.

University ENT Clinic, Inselspital, Berne, Switzerland.

Dizziness with illusionary rotatory or pendular sensations and dysequilibrium accompanied by nausea and occasionally by vomiting may appear during down-hill skiing. It is proposed that the condition is called "ski sickness". Ski sickness seems to represent a special form of motion sickness produced by unusual and contradictory sensory information between the visual, vestibular and somato-sensory system. The pathophysiology seems to be related to vestibular overstimulation from winding turns on uneven ground, insufficient visual control, specially on foggy days with reduced visibility (on so called "white days"), often in connection with minor ophthalmologic problems such as myopia or astigmatism and altered somato-sensory input due to the wearing of ski boots and skis. Psychological factors such as fear of heights, fear of mountains, high speed and falling may contribute as well as the atmospheric pressure changes in the ear when descending rapidly from high to low altitude. The symptoms of ski sickness can be relieved by vestibular suppressants. The present report indicates various characteristics of a series of 11 persons suffering from ski sickness.

Yes, I've also experienced this several times while skiing deep fresh snow in white out and broken fog bank conditions. I've also seen several young, healthy non-spectacled friends experience it as well.

It's a really crazy experience. I remember thinking things like am I moving downhill? Forward or Backward? How fast? At this point I usually have looked down to see if I am moving and somehow fall down in the process and then realize that I wasn't moving at all!

For me, I really don't think it has anything to do with a vision problem, but is a result of the brain lacking any points of reference because everthing is a soft white. I also think the floating sensation of being on fresh snow and plays a role. I really think it's all about the brain expecting to visually find points of reference and not getting what it needs. The result is spatial confusion and disorientation. This backed by the previous sensation of moving on skis, a former point of reference and expectation for the brain may be the causes of this otherworldy experience for me. I don't think any specialized eyewear could prevent this sensation given the right conditions.

I wonder if we're all talking about the same thing. I've never experienced vertigo on a mountainside. In dense fog, I have found myself unable to tell if I was moving or not, and in one case I thought I had stopped until I ran into a bump and found myself tossed up (and then, inevitably, back down). Not fun, but merely a lack of any reference points, and not a medical problem (as vertigo is).

I've had the same sensation JibberD and lordhedgie are talking about and probably what dkoelle is talking about, and it is not really vertigo. It feels like a mistaken sense of movement, not dizziness. It happens in whiteout conditions or very flat light when standing still. I usually get the sensation that I am sliding backwards, sometimes forwards, and have had to jab my poles in to convince myself I am not actually sliding. It seems more like a combination of lack of visual reference and lack of tactlle reference (proprioception) when standing still.

This is opposed to the sudden sensation of flying, when skiing off the edge of something in flat light. That unfortunately is not a mistaken sense, just a mistake.