On Monday afternoon, while training in the park at Keystone, Colo., TJ Schiller landed badly on a trick and tore his ACL and meniscus. He will be out for the season.
"Immediately, TJ knew that he had injured his knee," Schiller's manager Fergie Cancade told ESPN. He was brought down to the Keystone Medical Center, where he was examined by the doctors. After some preliminary tests, the doctors concluded that Schiller likely had a third degree tear of his ACL.
Tuesday afternoon, he went to Vail's Steadman Hawkins Clinic, where Dr. Richard Steadman concluded that it was a third degree tear of his ACL. Schiller received an MRI, where they found that he had a torn ACL and a ruptured medial meniscus. "The doctors have recommended that TJ remain in Summit County until the swelling goes down and it is safe to travel," Cancade said. "He will spend Christmas with his family in Vernon, BC, and prepare for surgery."
Schiller will undergo two surgeries: one for the meniscus and one eight weeks later for the ACL.
Schiller was skiing with Tom Wallisch, Nick Martini, Banks Gilberti and other pros in town for this week's first stop of the Winter Dew Tour, which is taking place this weekend at Breckenridge.
On Tuesday, Schiller officially pulled out of January's Winter X Games slopestyle and big air. He says he will spend this season focusing on rehabilitating and coming back even stronger for the fall of 2011.
Last winter in the Ski Big Air at Winter X 14, Schiller landed the first-ever double corked 1620 thrown in competition, earning himself a perfect score. He placed second behind Bobby Brown, who earned two perfect scores. Schiller won ski slopestyle at Winter X in 2009.